statute

American  

[stach-oot, -oot] / ˈstætʃ ut, -ʊt /

noun

1. Law.

   1. an enactment made by a legislature and expressed in a formal document.

   2. 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.

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statute British  

/ ˈstætjuːt /

noun

1. 1. an enactment of a legislative body expressed in a formal document

   2. this document

2. a permanent rule made by a body or institution for the government of its internal affairs

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Etymology

Origin of statute

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English statut, from Old French estatut, from Late Latin statūtum, noun use of neuter of Latin statūtus “made to stand,” past participle of statuere “to make stand, set up,” verb derivative of status status

Example Sentences

The department’s rule reaffirms that the governing statute—the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, or Erisa—is a law of process.

From The Wall Street Journal

The other mountain to climb in this case is the statute of limitations.

From MarketWatch

“These micromanagerial consent decrees mandate training and other things that go well beyond the scope of the statutes we enforce,” she says.

From The Wall Street Journal

Further, regulations are unnecessary because existing civil and criminal statutes already provide robust remedies for fraud, harm and other misconduct.

From The Wall Street Journal

“If a statute is ambiguous, then it’s the court that makes the call about what the statute means, not the agency,” Pettit explained.

From Salon

Related Words

• act
• bill
• decree
• edict
• measure
• regulation