legislature
Plurallegislatures
- 1The branch or body of government that has the authority to make new laws and to amend or repeal existing ones.
The national legislature approved the annual budget after weeks of debate.
Many legislatures grant committees the power to amend proposed bills.
Similarparliament, assembly, congress, chamber
Note
A seventeenth-century coinage: the word dates from 1676, built from the stem of legislator with the suffix -ure and paralleled by French législature. It names the body as a whole, so the people in it are members of the legislature. It readily takes a qualifier saying what kind: a state legislature, a colonial legislature, or a bicameral legislature with two chambers.
- 2The lawmaking assembly of a province or territory, distinct from the national parliament.
Ontario's legislature debated the health funding bill for weeks.
Provincial legislatures across the country adopted similar environmental rules.
Similarassembly, parliament
Note
Canadian usage splits the vocabulary by level of government. The federal body is the parliament, while a province or territory has a legislature. A Canadian reader therefore hears the word as provincial by default. When writing for that audience, use legislature for the provincial or territorial assembly and keep parliament for the national one.
- 3The building in which a lawmaking body meets and conducts its work.
Protesters gathered on the steps of the provincial legislature.
Visitors can tour the legislature on weekdays and look down into the chamber from the public gallery.
Similarparliament, capitol, statehouse
Note
Canadian English lets the word stand for the building as well as the people who sit in it. One tours the legislature or rallies on its steps, the way one might speak of a courthouse or a city hall. Context sorts the two: a vote or a debate points to the provincial assembly, while steps, a lawn or a public gallery point to the building.
Practice
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Origin
First recorded in 1676, formed from the stem of "legislator" plus the suffix "-ure," and related to French "législature."