senate

American  

[sen-it] / ˈsɛn ɪt /

noun

1. an assembly or council of citizens having the highest deliberative functions in a government, especially a legislative assembly of a state or nation.

2. (initial capital letter)  the upper house of the legislature of certain countries, as the United States, France, Italy, Canada, Ireland, Republic of South Africa, Australia, and some Latin American countries.

3. the room or building in which such a group meets.

4. Roman History.  the supreme council of state, the membership and functions of which varied at different periods.

5. a governing, advisory, or disciplinary body, as in certain universities.

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Senate ¹ British  

/ ˈsɛnɪt /

noun

1. the upper chamber of the legislatures of the US, Canada, Australia, and many other countries

2. the legislative council of ancient Rome. Originally the council of the kings, the Senate became the highest legislative, judicial, and religious authority in republican Rome

3. the ruling body of certain free cities in medieval and modern Europe

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senate ² British  

/ ˈsɛnɪt /

noun

1. any legislative or governing body considered to resemble a Senate

2. the main governing body at some colleges and universities

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Etymology

Origin of senate

1175–1225; Middle English senat < Latin senātus council of elders, equivalent to sen ( ex ) old + -ātus -ate ³

Example Sentences

An earlier faculty senate report noted the SAT and ACT “add substantially to UC’s ability to predict student success” beyond high school grades.

From The Wall Street Journal

Proceedings in the senate were halted as she refused to remove the item.

From BBC

“District 29 is a deeply red district that has not been represented in the state senate by a Democrat since the early part of the previous decade.”

From MarketWatch

Michael Selig, the nominee to chair the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, will go before a senate committee for a confirmation hearing on Wednesday.

From Barron's

“To my mind any organization that engages in work the president doesn’t like is vulnerable,” said Yu, who is also running for state senate in Massachusetts as a Democrat.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• body
• chamber
• house
• parliament