Short for 'nolle prosequi,' a legal term meaning a prosecutor's decision to drop charges against a defendant.
From Latin 'nolle prosequi' meaning 'to be unwilling to prosecute.' 'Nolle' comes from 'nolle' (to be unwilling) and 'prosequi' (to prosecute or follow through). It's a legal term that entered English from courtroom Latin.
When a prosecutor files a 'nol,' they're basically saying 'never mind' about pressing charges—it's different from an acquittal because technically the person was never cleared of guilt, just that the state decided not to pursue it.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.