the national legislative body of the U.S., consisting of the Senate, or upper house, and the House of Representatives, or lower house, as a continuous institution.
b.
this body as it exists for a period of two years during which it has the same membership: the 96th Congress.
c.
a session of this body: to speak in Congress.
2.
the national legislative body of a nation, esp. of a republic.
3.
a formal meeting or assembly of representatives for the discussion, arrangement, or promotion of some matter of common interest.
4.
the act of coming together; an encounter; meeting.
5.
an association, esp. one composed of representatives of various organizations.
6.
familiar relations; dealings; intercourse.
7.
coitus; sexual intercourse.
–verb (used without object)
8.
to assemble together; meet in congress.
[Origin: 1350–1400 for earlier sense “body of attendants, following”; 1520–30 for current senses; ME < L congressus assembly, intercourse, meeting, equiv. to congred(ī) to approach, meet (con-con-+ -gredī, comb. form of gradī to step; cf. grade) + -tus suffix of v. action]
A formal assembly of representatives, as of various nations, to discuss problems.
The national legislative body of a nation, especially a republic.
Congress
The national legislative body of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
The two-year session of this legislature between elections of the House of Representatives.
The act of coming together or meeting.
A single meeting, as of a political party or other group.
The act of coming together or meeting.
A single meeting, as of a political party or other group.
Sexual intercourse.
[Middle English congresse, body of attendants, from Latin congressus, meeting, from past participle of congredī, to meet : com-, com- + gradī, to go; see ghredh- in Indo-European roots.]
1528, from L. congressus "a meeting, hostile encounter," pp. of congredi "meet with, fight with," from com- "together" + gradi "to walk," from gradus "a step" (see grade). Sense of "meeting of delegates" is first recorded 1678. Meaning "sexual union" is from 1589. Used in ref. to the national legislative body of the American states since 1775 (though since 1765 in America as a name for proposed bodies).
the act of sexual procreation between a man and a woman; the man's penis is inserted into the woman's vagina and excited until orgasm and ejaculation occur
The legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Popularly elected, senators and representatives are responsible for advocating the interests of the constituents they represent. Numerous congressional committees are organized to study issues of public policy, recommend action, and, ultimately, pass laws. Congress plays an important role in the system of checks and balances; in fact, the two-house (bicameral) organization of Congress acts as an internal check, for each house must separately vote to pass a bill for it to become a law. In addition to lawmaking, Congress has a variety of functions, including appropriation of funds for executive and judicial activities; instituting taxes and regulating commerce; declaring war and raising and supporting a military; setting up federal courts and conducting impeachment proceedings; and approving presidential appointments.
Main Entry: con·gress Function: noun Etymology: Latin congressus meeting, encounter, from congredi to approach, meet 1: a formal meeting of
delegates 2 a: the supreme legislative body of a nation and esp. a republic bcap: the legislative branch of the United States government; specifically: the U.S. House of Representatives 3capa: the U.S. legislature as it is composed for an enumerated two-year period <the 101st Congress>
b: a single session of the U.S. legislature —see also HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATEArticle I of the CONSTITUTION in the back
matter —con·gres·sion·aladjective —con·gres·sion·al·lyadverb
Congress, OH (village, FIPS 18308) Location: 40.92630 N, 82.05529 W Population (1990): 162 (61 housing units) Area: 0.4 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Con"gress\, n.; pl. Congresses. [L. congressus, fr. congredi, p. p. -gressus, to go or come together; con- + grati to go or step, gradus step: cf. F. congr?s. See Grade.]1. A meeting of individuals, whether friendly or hostile; an encounter. [Obs.] Here Pallas urges on, and Lausus there; Their congress in the field great Jove withstands. --Dryden. 2. A sudden encounter; a collision; a shock; -- said of things. [Obs.] From these laws may be deduced the rules of the congresses and reflections of two bodies. --Cheyne. 3. The coming together of a male and female in sexual commerce; the act of coition. --Pennant. 4. A gathering or assembly; a conference. 5. A formal assembly, as of princes, deputies, representatives, envoys, or commissioners; esp., a meeting of the representatives of several governments or societies to consider and determine matters of common interest. The European powers strove to . . . accommodate their differences at the congress of Vienna. --Alison. 6. The collective body of senators and representatives of the people of a nation, esp. of a republic, constituting the chief legislative body of the nation. Note: In the Congress of the United States (which took the place of the Federal Congress, March 4, 1789), the Senate consists of two Senators from each State, chosen by the State legislature for a term of six years, in such a way that the terms of one third of the whole number expire every year; the House of Representatives consists of members elected by the people of the several Congressional districts, for a term of two years, the term of all ending at the same time. The united body of Senators and Representatives for any term of two years for which the whole body of Representatives is chosen is called one Congress. Thus the session which began in December, 1887, was the first (or long) session, and that which began in December, 1888, was the second (or short) session, of the Fiftieth Congress. When an extra session is had before the date of the first regular meeting of a Congress, that is called the first session, and the following regular session is called the second session. 7. The lower house of the Spanish Cortes, the members of which are elected for three years. The Continental Congress, an assembly of deputies from the thirteen British colonies in America, appointed to deliberate in respect to their common interests. They first met in 1774, and from time thereafter until near the close of the Revolution. The Federal Congress, the assembly of representatives of the original States of the American Union, who met under the Articles of Confederation from 1781 till 1789. Congress boot or gaiter, a high shoe or half-boot, coming above the ankle, and having the sides made in part of some elastic material which stretches to allow the boot to be drawn on and off. [U.S.] Congress water, a saline mineral water from the Congress spring at Saratoga, in the State of New York. Syn: Assembly; meeting; convention; convocation; council; diet; conclave; parliament; legislature.
Con`ti*nen"tal\, a. 1. Of or pertaining to a continent. 2. Of or pertaining to the main land of Europe, in distinction from the adjacent islands, especially England; as, a continental tour; a continental coalition. --Macaulay. No former king had involved himself so frequently in the labyrinth of continental alliances. --Hallam. 3. (Amer. Hist.) Of or pertaining to the confederated colonies collectively, in the time of the Revolutionary War; as, Continental money. The army before Boston was designated as the Continental army, in contradistinction to that under General Gage, which was called the "Ministerial army." --W. Irving. Continental Congress. See under Congress. Continental system (Hist.), the blockade of Great Britain ordered by Napoleon by the decree of Berlin, Nov. 21, 1806; the object being to strike a blow at the maritime and commercial supremacy of Great Britain, by cutting her off from all intercourse with the continent of Europe.
Fed"er*al\, a. [L. foedus league, treaty, compact; akin to fides faith: cf. F. f['e]d['e]ral. see Faith.]1. Pertaining to a league or treaty; derived from an agreement or covenant between parties, especially between nations; constituted by a compact between parties, usually governments or their representatives. The Romans compelled them, contrary to all federal right, . . . to part with Sardinia. --Grew. 2. Specifically: (a) Composed of states or districts which retain only a subordinate and limited sovereignty, as the Union of the United States, or the Sonderbund of Switzerland. (b) Consisting or pertaining to such a government; as, the Federal Constitution; a Federal officer. (c) Friendly or devoted to such a government; as, the Federal party. see Federalist. Federal Congress. See under Congress.
Grade\, n. [F. grade, L. gradus step, pace, grade, from gradi to step, go. Cf. Congress, Degree, Gradus.]1. A step or degree in any series, rank, quality, order; relative position or standing; as, grades of military rank; crimes of every grade; grades of flour. They also appointed and removed, at their own pleasure, teachers of every grade. --Buckle. 2. In a railroad or highway: (a) The rate of ascent or descent; gradient; deviation from a level surface to an inclined plane; -- usually stated as so many feet per mile, or as one foot rise or fall in so many of horizontal distance; as, a heavy grade; a grade of twenty feet per mile, or of 1 in 264. (b) A graded ascending, descending, or level portion of a road; a gradient. 3. (Stock Breeding) The result of crossing a native stock with some better breed. If the crossbreed have more than three fourths of the better blood, it is called high grade. At grade, on the same level; -- said of the crossing of a railroad with another railroad or a highway, when they are on the same level at the point of crossing. Down grade, a descent, as on a graded railroad. Up grade, an ascent, as on a graded railroad. Equating for grades. See under Equate. Grade crossing, a crossing at grade.
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