statute

stat·ute

noun \ˈsta-(ˌ)chüt, -chət\

Definition of STATUTE

1

: a law enacted by the legislative branch of a government

2

: an act of a corporation or of its founder intended as a permanent rule

3

: an international instrument setting up an agency and regulating its scope or authority

Examples of STATUTE

1. The state legislature passed the statute by an overwhelming margin.
2. business practices that are prohibited by statute

Origin of STATUTE

Middle English, from Anglo-French estatut, from Late Latin statutum law, regulation, from Latin, neuter of statutus, past participle of statuere to set up, station, from status position, state

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to STATUTE

Synonyms: act, bill, constitution, enactment, ordinance, law

Related Words: command, commandment, decree, dictate, directive, edict, fiat, ruling; bylaw, ground rule, regulation, rule; amendment, legislation; common law, martial law; blue law; prohibition, proscription, restriction; canon, capitulary, encyclical

Near Antonyms: higher law

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See Synonym Discussion at law

Other Legal Terms

actionable, alienable, carceral, chattel, complicity, decedent, larceny, malfeasance, modus operandi

Rhymes with STATUTE

acute, astute, Asyût, bear fruit, beetroot, Beirut, birthroot, bloodroot, breadfruit, butut, cahoot, Canute, catsuit, cheroot, choucroute, clubroot, commute, compute, confute, crapshoot, cube root, deaf-mute, depute, dilute, dispute, dry suit, elute, en route, enroot, flight suit, folkmoot, freeboot, galoot, grapefruit, G suit, hardboot, hip boot, hirsute, imbrute, impute, jackboot, jackfruit, jumpsuit, kashruth, lawsuit, long suit, lounge suit, minute, nonsuit, offshoot, outshoot, Paiute, pantsuit, permute, playsuit, pollute, pursuit, recruit, refute, repute, salute, sans doute, seaboot, snowsuit, solute, square root, star fruit, star route, strong suit, sunsuit, sweat suit, swimsuit, take root, taproot, to boot, tracksuit, trade route, transmute, tribute, uproot, volute, wet suit, zoot suit