legally binding minestrone

de facto is a latin phrase for "unofficial" or "assumed" (literally "by fact"). it is used in situations to describe something that established in practice but not necessarily documented officially or legally.

example for lost fans: jack is the de facto leader of the survivors.



lesser used is the opposite of de facto, which is de jure, meaning "official" or "legal" (literally "by law"). this should not be confused with the french du jour which is pronounced the same but means, instead, "of the day" e.g. soupe du jour.