Pronounced: lay-ET, noun
Notes: I’ve run across this word in reading, but couldn’t properly define it, but I’m sure some readers will know it
Yesterday’s phrase
The phrase pro se means “on one’s own behalf”; it tends to be used in law when referring to someone who represents himself in court
First usage
The phrase came into usage in the mid-1800s
Background / Comments
A common legal saying is “an attorney who represents himself has a fool for a client”. Even though I’ve read many Perry Mason stories, I don’t recall our phrase. Our phrase is Latin: pro (for) and se (himself, herself, itself, themselves).
Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day 