Ijtihad literally means striving and exerting. Technically as a term of jurisprudence it signifies the application by a jurist of all his faculties to the consideration of the authorities of law with a view to finding out what in all probability is the law. In other words Ijtihad means making deductions in matters of law, in the cases to which no express text is applicable.
IJTIHAT
Meaning of IJTIHAT in English
Advanced Islamic English dictionary. Расширенный исламский словарь английского языка. 2012