legislature
- 01 C1 Advanced
the official group of people who have the power to make, change, or remove laws for a country or state.
A governmental body or deliberative assembly vested with the power to make, amend, and repeal laws.
Simple“The state legislature voted to increase funding for public schools next year.”
In context“The national legislature debated the proposed environmental regulations for several weeks before finally reaching a compromise.”
UsageOften used with the definite article 'the' when referring to a specific body.
Teacher's tipWhile 'parliament' or 'congress' are specific types, 'legislature' is the general term for any such body.
Synonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
the building where the law-making group meets to work.
The physical building or complex that houses a legislative body.
Simple“A large crowd gathered outside the legislature to protest the new tax.”
In context“The historic legislature building is famous for its grand dome and neoclassical architecture.”
UsageCommonly used in Canada and some US states to refer to the building itself.
Teacher's tipIn many dialects, speakers prefer 'parliament' or 'the capitol' for the building; this use is more regional.
Synonyms
“In May, the same opposition-controlled legislature cut a proposed $40bn special defence budget by 38 percent, stripping out all funding for domestically produced combat drones and leaving only United States arms purchases intact.”
“The signature tally, as of Saturday, surpassed 171,000, far exceeding the 500 needed for the petition to be discussed before Canada’s legislature.”
1676, from stem of legislator + -ure, cognate with French législature.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.