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legislature - 5 dictionary results
leg⋅is⋅la⋅ture
[lej-is-ley-cher] 
ɪsˌleɪ
–noun
| a deliberative body of persons, usually elective, who are empowered to make, change, or repeal the laws of a country or state; the branch of government having the power to make laws, as distinguished from the executive and judicial branches of government. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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|
Link To legislature
| leg·is·la·ture (lěj'ĭ-slā'chər) n. An officially elected or otherwise selected body of people vested with the responsibility and power to make laws for a political unit, such as a state or nation. |
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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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Legislature
Leg"is*la`ture\ (l[e^]j"[i^]s*l[=a]`t[-u]r; 135), n. [Cf. F. l['e]gislature.] The body of persons in a state or kingdom invested with power to make and repeal laws; a legislative body. Without the concurrent consent of all three parts of the legislature, no law is, or can be, made. --Sir M. Hale. Note: The legislature of Great Britain consists of the Lords and Commons, with the king or queen, whose sanction is necessary to every bill before it becomes a law. The legislatures of most of the United States consist of two houses or branches; but the sanction or consent of the governor is required to give their acts the force of law, or a concurrence of two thirds of the two houses after he has refused his sanction and assigned his objections.Legislature
Legislature\, n. Note: The legislatures of some of the more important states having constitutional government are as follows, the general name (or a translation of it) of the legislative body collectively being given under the heading legislature, or parliament: StateLegislature, or parliamentUpper House[colret]NameNumber of members -- how chosen or composed -- term of officeLower House[colret]NameNumber of members -- suffrage -- term of office ----------------------------------------------------------------- ArgentinaNational CongressSenate30 -- 2 from each provincew and 2 from capital -- 9 yearsHouse of Deputies120 (1 to 33,000) -- Manhood -- 4 years Austria Belgium Brazil Chile Denmark France German Empire *Great BritainParliamentHouse of LordsAbout 600House of CommonsAbout 670 -- 7 years, or until dissolution Greece Hungary Italy Japan Mexico Netherlands #Norway Portugal PrussiaLandtagHerrenhausNo limit -- very various classes -- For different termsAbgeordnetenhaus433 -- Indirect election, general suffrage[sect] -- 5 years, or until dissolution Spain Sweden Switzerland United StatesCongressSenate92(1908) -- 6 yearsHouse of Representatives391 (1908) -- 2 years. ---------------------------------------------------------------- *In the self-governing colonies of Great Britain the legislative body usually consists of two chambers, the names of the legislature and the chambers varying. Thus in Australia the Federal Parliament is composed of the Senate and the House of Commons, in New Zealand the General Assembly is composed of the Legislative Council and the House of Representatives, etc. #Members of the Storthing are chosen for three years by direct election by manhood suffrage, forty-one being elected from the towns and eighty-two from the rural districts. The Storthing on assembling divides into the Lagthing including one fourth and the Odelsthing including three fourths of the total membership of the Storthing. All new laws are laid first before the Odelsthing. If the two houses do not agree they vote in joint session, a majority of two thirds of those voting being necessary to a decision. [sect] While theoretically general, the suffrage is so classified as often practically to disfranchise those who are not property holders. Leg-of-mutton \Leg"-of-mut"ton\, a. Having the general shape or outline of a leg of mutton; as, a leg-of-mutton, or shoulder-of-mutton, sail.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : legislature
Spanish:
cuerpo legislativo,
German:
die Legislative,
Japanese:
立法機関
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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