This is a legal term, primarily, from Latin. Maybe these will help: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prima_facie prima facie (pry-mah fay-shah) adj. Latin for "at first look," or "on its face," referring to a lawsuit or criminal prosecution in which the evidence before trial is sufficient to prove the case unless there is substantial contradictory evidence presented at trial. A prima facie case presented to a grand jury by the prosecution will result in an indictment. Example: in a charge of bad check writing, evidence of a half dozen checks written on a non-existent bank account, makes it a prima facie case. However, proof that the bank had misprinted the account number on the checks might disprove the prosecution's apparent "open and shut" case. (See: prima facie case) And this one: http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Prima+Facie "At first glance a situation appears to be a certain way" This is the best I can reduce it for you. Good Luck

It means something like "in principle", but it's a little more subtle than that. When you use prima facie, you are establishing a key point, which may be subject to exceptions and modifications. e.g. "Prima facie, a motorist who runs into the back of the car in front will be liable for any damage caused. Nevertheless, other factors may be relevant to the attribution of blame, such as speed." My example is deliberately formal as the expression is used in literary, political, legal and other formal contexts. There are some other example sentences here: http://fraze.it/n_search.jsp?q=prima+facie&l=0