Literae Dimissories, in the canon law, a letter given by a bishop to a candidate for holy orders, having a title in his diocese, directed to some other bishop, and giving leave for the bearer to be ordained by him.

When a person produces letters of ordination or tonsure, conferred by any other than his own diocese, he must at the same time produce the letters dimissory given by his own bishop, on pain of nullity.

Letters dimissory cannot be given by the chapter, fide vacante; this being deemed an act of voluntary jurisdiction, which ought to be reserved to the successor.

DIMERITÆ, a name given to the Apollinarists, who at first held, that the word only assumed a human body, without taking a reasonable soul like ours; but being at length convinced by formal texts of scripture, they allowed, that he did assume a soul, but without understanding; the word supplying the want of that faculty. From this way of separating the understanding from the soul, they became denominated dimeritæ, q. d. dividers, separators, of ἑν and πολύς, I divide.