legislature

American  

[lej-is-lay-cher] / ˈlɛdʒ ɪsˌleɪ tʃər /

noun

• legislatures
  plural

1. 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.

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legislature British  

/ ˈlɛdʒɪsˌleɪtʃə /

noun

1. a body of persons vested with power to make, amend, and repeal laws Compare executive judiciary

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• sublegislature
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• legislatures
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of legislature

First recorded in 1670–80; legislat(or) + -ure

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Explanation

A legislature is a governing body that makes laws and can also amend or repeal them. The word legislature comes from the Latin word for "law" — legis. In the US, each state has a legislature — made up of the elected state senators and assemblymen or women, or representatives. The US Congress is the national legislature. These bodies, whose members are often referred to as "law-makers," make up the legislative branch of government, as distinct from the executive and judicial branches.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

legislature legislatures

Wilson’s own law lectures, however, emphasized that the Constitution limits Congress with “enumerated powers”—unlike the states’ governments, which were “vested with every power necessary for” a legislature to possibly wield.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

For two decades, she has been an organizer in Florida, and she was first elected to the state legislature in 2020.

From Salon ● Oct. 21, 2026

A lawyer educated at Baylor University and the University of Virginia, Paxton entered the Texas legislature in 2003 and made his name challenging the Republican establishment from the right.

From Barron's ● Oct. 19, 2026

The group tried to push the state legislature to adopt bills aimed at stopping steep rent increases and protecting tenants’ rights to organize.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026

Despite the demeaning response, Stanton and Anthony considered the speech a victory: Women had spoken before the legislature.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling

“Gubernatorial races in other states, notably Georgia and Ohio, will also have important implications for data-center development, and state legislatures are likely to remain active regardless of election outcomes,” the Evercore analysts wrote.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026

Pan is part of a wave of doctors and scientists running for office this November — for school boards, city councils, state legislatures, the House and U.S.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026

The country should have more female legislators because the country’s legislatures should represent the country.

From Slate ● Oct. 9, 2026

In response, tech executives are clearly realizing that city councils and state legislatures can do a lot to constrain them.

From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026

But he was not a mover-and-shaker, only a draftsman; the words he wrote were merely the lyrical expression of ideas that had been bandied about in the Congress and the various colonial legislatures for years.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

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Related Words

• body
• chamber
• house
• parliament

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