# legislature

Pronunciation: US say "LEJ-i-slay-chur" /ˈlɛd͡ʒɪˌsleɪt͡ʃɚ/; UK say "LEJ-i-sluh-chuur" /ˈlɛd͡ʒɪsləˌt͡ʃʊə/

## Noun

1. The branch or body of government that has the authority to make new laws and to amend or repeal existing ones.
   - Simple: A group of people with the power to make and change a country's laws.
   - _The national legislature approved the annual budget after weeks of debate._
   - _Many legislatures grant committees the power to amend proposed bills._
2. The lawmaking assembly of a province or territory, distinct from the national parliament. *(Canada)*
   - Simple: The group that makes laws for a state, province, or territory, not for the whole country.
   - _Ontario's legislature debated the health funding bill for weeks._
   - _Provincial legislatures across the country adopted similar environmental rules._
3. The building in which a lawmaking body meets and conducts its work. *(Canada)*
   - Simple: The building where a group of lawmakers meets to do their 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._

## Origin

First recorded in 1676, formed from the stem of "legislator" plus the suffix "-ure," and related to French "législature."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/legislature (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).