stat·ute

[stach-oot, -oot]
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; Middle English statut < Old French estatut < Late Latin statūtum, noun use of neuter of Latin statūtus (past participle of statuere to make stand, set up, derivative of status status), equivalent to statū-, verb stem + -tus past participle suffix

statue, stature, statute.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To statute
00:10
Statute is always a great word to know.
So is zedonk. Does it mean:
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
Collins
World English Dictionary
statute (ˈstætjuːt) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  a.  an enactment of a legislative body expressed in a formal document
 b.  this document
2.  a permanent rule made by a body or institution for the government of its internal affairs
 
[C13: from Old French estatut, from Late Latin statūtum, from Latin statuere to set up, decree, ultimately from stāre to stand]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

statute
late 13c., 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, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
The others have all been dropped, because of the statute of limitations or the
  immunity rule.
After he left office, several cases expired under the statute of limitations.
The only small saving grace is that the new statute expires in six months.
It will probably be timed out by a statute of limitations before a verdict is
  reached.
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