dictamen

Dictamen is a noun used in Spanish and other Romance languages to denote an official statement, opinion, or conclusion issued after examination of a matter. The word comes from Latin dictamen, from dicere, “to say.” In contemporary usage, a dictamen may be produced by an individual expert, a judge, or by a body such as a committee or board, and it is intended to inform decisions, administrative actions, or judgments.

In law and administration, dictamen commonly refers to a formal opinion or report prepared for courts, government agencies, or public bodies. It may address technical issues—such as accounting, engineering, or forensic matters—or broader policy questions. In legislative settings, a committee may publish a dictamen that outlines its analysis of a proposed bill, including conclusions and recommendations for consideration by the legislature.

While related terms include parecer and informe, dictamen usually conveys a more formal, sometimes authoritative, assessment. The binding effect of a dictamen depends on the legal framework: it may be advisory or may have binding force in specific proceedings or regulations. Dictamen is used across civil, administrative, and corporate contexts, reflecting the formal articulation of informed opinion or conclusions.