What does amendment mean?
An amendment is a formal change, correction, or addition made to a document — most commonly a law, constitution, contract, or other official text — intended to improve, update, or rectify it. The word carries strongly legal and institutional connotations: when people speak of amendments they usually mean deliberate, authorized revisions rather than casual edits, as in a constitutional amendment passed by a legislature or a clause added to a business agreement. Beyond legal usage, amendment also describes the general act of correcting or improving something, from a written report to a public statement. Derived from the Latin root behind 'mend' and 'amend', the word literally embodies the idea of mending or setting right. It is an essential term for anyone reading news about legislation, civics, or formal agreements, since so much public discourse about policy is framed as debate over proposed amendments.
nounA change or addition made to a document, law, or text to improve, correct, or update it; also the act or process of making such a change.
- A formal change or addition to a legal or official document, such as a constitution, statute, or contract.
- A correction or improvement made to a text or statement.
"The committee approved the amendment to the bylaws at its annual meeting."
"Parliament passed the amendment with unanimous support."
"She submitted an amendment to correct the figures in the report."
Standard plural form; used freely in both legal and everyday contexts.
"The contract was revised through several amendments before signing."
The US Constitution has been amended only 27 times in over 230 years — and the First Amendment alone protects five different freedoms.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of amendment
Amendment derives from the Old French 'amender' and ultimately from the Latin verb 'emendare', meaning to correct or free from fault, itself rooted in the Latin phrase 'e mendis' — out of faults. This same lineage produced the English words 'mend' and 'amend', which share the core idea of repairing or setting right. The noun 'amendment' entered English usage in the late medieval and early modern period as legal and parliamentary language developed, becoming especially prominent with the drafting and revision of constitutional documents.
How amendment is actually used
Amendment is largely formal and legalistic in register, most often encountered in political, legal, and contractual contexts. In everyday speech it can also refer more loosely to any correction or improvement. The plural is standard.
Easily confused with amendment
An emendation is a scholarly correction of a text (especially in editing classical works), while an amendment is a formal change to a law, contract, or other official document.