What is "voir dire"

Voir dire \Voir dire\ [OF., to say the truth, fr. L. verus true + dicere to say.] (Law) An oath administered to a witness, usually before being sworn in chief, requiring him to speak the truth, or make true answers in reference to matters inquired of, to ascertain his competency to give evidence.
--Greenleaf. Ld. Abinger.

1670s, from Old French voir "true" (from Latin verus "true;" see very) + dire "to say" (see diction).

n. 1 (context legal English) The preliminary phase of a jury trial in which the jurors are examined and selected. 2 (context legal English) A preliminary hearing without a jury in order to determine whether the evidence meets the test for admissibility to go to a full hearing at a criminal trial, in the legal systems of England and Wales, New Zealand, Australia, and the United States.

Voir dire is a legal phrase that refers to a variety of procedures connected with jury trials. It originally referred to an oath taken by jurors to tell the truth , i.e., to say what is true, what is objectively accurate or subjectively honest, or both. It comes from the Anglo-Norman language.

The word voir (or voire), in this combination, comes from Old French and derives from Latin verum, "that which is true". It is related to the modern French word voire, "indeed," but not to the more common word voir, "to see," which derives from Latin vidēre. However, the expression is now often interpreted by false etymology to mean "to see [them] say". The term is used (as le voir-dire) in modern Canadian legal French.

Voir Dire is the fourth album by American noise rock band Will Haven, released on October 10, 2011. It is the first album to feature frontman Grady Avenell since 2001's critically acclaimed Carpe Diem, and also features new bassist Chris Fehn (also percussionist of Slipknot). The album was well received by critics, and featured in Metal Hammer's top 50 albums of 2011.