What does legislation mean?
Legislation means a law or a collection of laws formally enacted by a legislative body such as a parliament or congress. It can also denote the broader activity of making laws. Writers often use it in expressions such as “introduce legislation,” “pass legislation,” and “federal legislation,” especially when discussing a proposed law, an enacted measure, or the policies represented by a lawmaking body. The term is more general than “statute,” which can suggest a formally enacted law, and distinct from “regulation,” which is normally made by an administrative agency rather than a legislature. Legislation carries a formal, institutional tone and often implies governmental action, public policy, and compliance. Because it can refer both to law and to the lawmaking process, careful writers sometimes use constructions such as “a piece of legislation” when they mean an individual enacted law.
nounA law or body of laws enacted by a legislative body. The term can also refer to the process or business of making laws.
- A law or body of laws enacted by a legislative body.
- The process or business of making laws.
- A proposed law considered as part of a legislative program.
"The government announced new legislation to protect consumers."
"Parliament debated the legislation for most of the afternoon."
"New legislation requiring transparent lobbying was introduced this year."
The plural is uncommon and is generally used for distinct legislative bodies or bodies of law, rather than for the ordinary plural of a single law.
"The scholar compared the colonial legislations of several regions."
Legislation literally began as the Roman idea of “giving law”: the word joins Latin roots meaning “of a law” and “a giving or establishing.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does legislation come from?
Legislation comes from Medieval Latin legislationem, a noun meaning the act of giving or establishing law. Its components relate to Latin lex, “law,” and latio, “a giving” or “establishment.” The word entered English through legal and parliamentary usage and is related to legal, legitimate, lexicon, and other words descended from the Latin root for law or for reading and speaking.
Related word forms
How legislation is actually used
The word is formal and common in legal, political, and journalistic contexts. In British usage, it often denotes a body of laws collectively, while in American usage it may refer to a particular law or to the lawmaking process. The plural is uncommon and is usually reserved for distinct bodies of laws.
Easily confused with legislation
Legislation is law made by a legislature, whereas a regulation is a detailed rule made by an administrative authority under powers granted by law.