在法律英语中，digest有“判例摘要”的含义，指英美国家法院出版的一种判例摘要汇编[1]。其与abridgement (节本、节略）之间的差异在于abridgement所含的内容单一，编辑者只需将原著进行并缩即可。而digest则内容广泛，具有自己的分类体系和编排[2]。在digest中，American digest system指“美国判例摘要汇编检索体系”[3]，收录了全美所有终审法院（包括联邦和各州）的判例，按编年史的顺序依照不同的法律主体进行编排， 共分7大类，再分亚类及细目（topics)，总共有400个细目，每个细目涉及一法律概念（legal concept)，该体系包括一部《世纪判例摘要》（Century Digest) (1897 ~ 1905年），8部《十年判例摘要》（Decennial Digest)，《第九部十年案例摘要》（the Ninth Necennial Digest,分 Part 1 和 Part 2)以及《判例摘要大全》（General  Digest)。英国的判例检索体系则主要包括有《英格兰和帝国判例摘要》、《英格兰判例法判例摘要》等。
[1] "A collection of summaries of reported cases, arranged by subject and subdivided by jurisdiction and court. ”Cf. Bryan A. Gamer, Black's Law Dictionary, 7th edition, at p. 467，West Group (1999).
[2]“As a legal term, digest is to be distinguished from abridgement. The latter is a summary or epitome of the contents of a single work，in which，as a rule，the original order or sequence of parts is preserved, and in which the principal labor of the compiler is in the matter of consolidation. A digest is wider in its scope；is made up of quotations or paraphrased passages, and has its own system of classification and arrangement. ” Cf. The Publisher's Editorial Staff, Black's Law Dictionary, abridged 6th edition, at p. 313, West Publishing Co. (1991).
[3]“The American digest system covers the decisions of all American courts of last resort, state and federal. " Cf. Bryan A. Gamer, Black's Law Dictionary, 7th edition, at p. 467，West Group (1999).