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Statute

 - 4 dictionary results

stat⋅ute

  [stach-oot, -oot]
Use Statute in a Sentence
–noun
1. Law.
a. an enactment made by a legislature and expressed in a formal document.
b. the document in which such an enactment is expressed.
2. International Law. an instrument annexed or subsidiary to an international agreement, as a treaty.
3. a permanent rule established by an organization, corporation, etc., to govern its internal affairs.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME statut < OF estatut < LL statūtum, n. use of neut. of L statūtus (ptp. of statuere to make stand, set up, deriv. of status status ), equiv. to statū-, verb. s. + -tus ptp. suffix
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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stat·ute   (stāch'ōōt)   
n.  

  1. A law enacted by a legislature.

  2. A decree or edict, as of a ruler.

  3. An established law or rule, as of a corporation.


[Middle English, from Old French estatut, from Late Latin statūtum, from neuter of Latin statūtus, past participle of statuere, to set up, from status, position; see stā- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

statute 
c.1290, from O.Fr. statut, from L.L. statutum "a law, decree," noun use of neuter pp. of L. statuere "enact, establish," from status "condition, position," from stare "to stand" from PIE base *sta- "to stand" (see stet). Statutory first attested 1717; statutory rape, in U.S., "sexual intercourse with a female below the legal age of consent, whether forced or not," is recorded from 1898.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: stat·ute
Pronunciation: 'sta-chüt
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin statutum law, regulation, from neuter of statutus, past participle of statuere to set up, station, from status position, state
1 : a law enacted by the legislative branch of a government —see also CODE, STATUTORY LAW
2 : an act of a corporation or its founder intended as a permanent rule
3 : an international instrument setting up an agency and regulating its scope or authority statute of the International Court of Justice>
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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