Prima facie
Etymology
A Latin phrase meaning "at first appearance," from prima, "first" (feminine), and facie, the ablative of facies, "face, appearance." The literal image is of how something looks at first glance. Law uses it for a claim strong enough on its face to stand until it is rebutted.
adverb · /PRY-muh-FAY-shee/
Accepted as true or sufficient on first impression, unless later evidence disproves it.
What it names
The threshold a case must clear just to proceed — enough apparent evidence to require an answer, before anything is finally proved.
Example
The unpaid invoices were prima facie evidence that the contract had been broken.
Related idea
A prima facie case looks sufficient at first glance; whether it survives depends on the defendant’s rebuttal, which can dismantle it.