The word 'prejudice' derives from the Latin word pre-judicium. Literally it means 'pre-judgment'. In Rome, laws were different for the upper class, the patricians, and for the lower class, the plebeians. The 'pre-judgment' was a judicial examination, held prior to the real trial, to determine first the social status of would-be litigants. Often it meant that, in fact, long before the actual trial, the outcome was established by the 'prejudice'. (Young, 1946)
Today's meaning of prejudice comes close to this. Without examining a person on his or her own merit, we have already adopted a nega…
