means The principle of treating people fairly and giving each their due — rewarding right, punishing wrong, and balancing competing claims under the law.

from From Latin 'iustitia,' built on 'iustus' (lawful, righteous) and ultimately 'ius' — meaning law or right itself. It entered English through Old French 'justice' after the Norman Conquest. That root 'ius' is the same one lurking inside 'judge,' 'jury,' 'just,' and 'jurisdiction' — a whole family descended from the idea of what is owed and what is right. The famous blindfolded figure with scales and sword comes from the Roman goddess Iustitia, herself an heir to the Greek Themis and Dike; notably, the blindfold was a later addition, sometimes first painted as mockery before being reclaimed as the symbol of impartiality it is today.