以上单词是指上诉法院对上诉案件处理方式的最基本的三个术语。affirm为“维持原判”，指上诉法院维持下级法院判决 (to uphold the judgment or actions of a lower court[1])，注意的是该 单词后的搭配一般为 judgment,如：The trial court's judgment was affirmed.(正确用法）；The trial court was affirmed.(非正确用法)[2]。reverse为“撤销原判”，指上诉法院因下级法院的一些 错误而撤销其判决（of an appellate court, to nullify the judgment of a lower court in a case on appeal because of some errors in the court bellow[3]) ,如 to reverse a judgment or reverse a decision。remand 则是案件的“发回重审”，指上诉法院将案件发回原审法院，要求下级法院按自己的指示重新审理（to send a case back from an appellate court to the lower court from which it was appealed，for further proceedings in accordance with the appellate court’s instructions[4])。其后的搭配一般是 case，如 to remand a case[5]。
 
[1] Cf. Linda Picard Wood, J. D.，Merriam Webster's Dictionary of Law, at p. 17, Merriam- Webster, Incorporated (1996).
[2] Cf. Bryan A. Gamer, A Dictionary of Modem Legal Usage，at p. 35, Oxford University Press Ltd. (1995).
[3] Cf. James E. Clapp, Random House Webster's Dictionary of the Law, at p. 377, Random House, New York (2000).
[4] Cf. Bryan A. Gamer, A Dictionary of Modem Legal Usage, at p. 369，Oxford University Press Ltd. (1995).
[5] Id. at p. 17.