# senator

Pronunciation: US say "SEN-uh-tur" /ˈsɛn.ə.tɚ/; UK say "SEN-uh-tuh" /ˈsɛn.ə.tə/

## Noun

1. A member of a legislative chamber called a senate, elected in some countries, such as the United States, and appointed in others, such as Canada.
   - Simple: A member of a senate, a group that makes laws. Voters choose senators in some countries, but not in others.
   - _The senator spent the morning questioning witnesses at the hearing._
   - _Canadian senators are appointed rather than elected by voters._
2. A member of the Senate of ancient Rome, or of a similar governing council in another ancient state.
   - Simple: A member of the ruling council of ancient Rome or of another ancient state.
   - _In the Roman Republic, a senator wore a tunic with a broad purple stripe to mark his rank._
   - _The senators voted to grant the consul emergency powers._

## Noun

3. A member of a ruler's council or of a governing body in general, or a leading statesman. *(rare)*
   - Simple: A member of a ruler's council or of another governing body, or a respected leading politician.
4. Someone belonging to a parliament or another lawmaking institution, especially Britain’s Parliament. *(dated)*
   - Simple: A member of a parliament or other lawmaking body, especially the British Parliament.
5. An official holding an important position of authority within the church. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: An important official who held authority within a church.

## Other meanings

- (noun) In Germany, a minister in the state government of Berlin, Bremen, or Hamburg, or a senior municipal executive in certain former Hanseatic cities.

## Origin

From Latin senātor, ultimately from senex ("old"); it can be understood as senate plus the suffix -or.

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