Words / C1

LEJ-isl-uh-ch-uh/ˈledʒɪslətʃə/

A legislature is the body that makes laws: the state legislature, a bicameral legislature. Parliament (already in the dictionary) is the usual British name for the national one; legislation (already in the dictionary) is the laws themselves. Legislate is the verb. Do not call a university council a legislature.

Meaning

The group of people with the power to make and change laws.

Examples

• “A university board is not a legislature, however grand the hall.”
• “Parliament is the UK’s national legislature in ordinary talk. Legislation is the product (laws). A regulator enforces; a legislature enacts. Campus governance is not a parliament.”

Good to know

A law-making body. UK everyday: parliament. Product: legislation (already in the dictionary). Verb: legislate. A campus board is not a legislature.

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