Royal Institute Dictionary

The Royal Institute Dictionary (RID; Thai: พจนานุกรม ฉบับราชบัณฑิตยสถาน, rtgs: Photchananukrom Chabap Ratchabandittayasathan) is the official and prescriptive dictionary of Thai language, published by the Royal Institute of Thailand (RIT).

The RIT has published four fully revised editions of the dictionary, and many intermittent reprintings with minor revisions. Each of the major revisions is associated with a significant year in Thai history, although in the case of the 1999 and 2011 editions, the actual publication date is a later year.

The dictionary is the only prescriptive and official dictionary of Thai words. It has also frequently been used by the courts in interpreting the general meanings of the words in dispute, although the RIT has issued a statement that the dictionary is not intended to produce legal effect concerning cases.

One of the most notable legal cases is the case of a transgender who applied for judicial permission to change his title from "Mister" to "Miss" in 1986, as the law at that time only allowed a female to use the latter title. The applicant argued that he could be considered a female, since he had undergone gender reassignment, having his sexual organ removed and having breasts augmented, etc. The Supreme Court of Justice ruled that, according to the RID 1982, a female is "a person that can be pregnant", and denied his application.

Another notable case is that of Samak Sundaravej, then prime minister who was accused of conflict of interest in 2008. The Election Commission and the Senate jointly complained before the Constitutional Court that Samak worked for a private commercial business while in office. The Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand, Buddhist Era 2550 (2007), prohibits a public officer from being an employee of any person, especially a commercial business. Samak argued that he had not been paid for hosting two cookery shows in question, Tasting and Grumbling and All Set at 6 am, and could not be regarded as an employee under the Civil and Commercial Code or the law on labour. The court decided that the term "employee" in the constitution conveys a general meaning. As the RID 1999 defines an "employee" as "a person who agrees to work for another person, irrespective of how he is called", the court found Samak guilty and terminated his ministership, removing him from office in consequence.

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