Papinian, (Aemilius Papinianus) (died 212)

Roman jurist. He was Praetorian prefect under Septimius Severus in 203. He was put to death by Caracalla for declining to excuse the latter's murder of his younger brother and co-emperor Geta. Papinian's legal writings consisted of two works, Quaestiones/Questions and Responsa/Answers, many parts of which are included in Justinian's Digest. His reputation is illustrated by the Law of Citations (426), which gave his opinion the force of law in any dispute where there was no majority on either side.