law

Meaning

Noun

1. (countable, uncountable, usually, with-definite-article) The body of binding rules and regulations, customs, and standards established in a community by its legislative and judicial authorities.
2. (countable, uncountable, usually, with-definite-article) The body of binding rules and regulations, customs, and standards established in a community by its legislative and judicial authorities.
3. (countable, uncountable, usually, with-definite-article) The body of binding rules and regulations, customs, and standards established in a community by its legislative and judicial authorities.
4. (countable, uncountable) A binding regulation or custom established in a community in this way.
5. (broadly, countable, uncountable) A rule, such as:
6. (broadly, countable, uncountable) A rule, such as:
7. (broadly, countable, uncountable) A rule, such as:
8. (broadly, countable, uncountable) A rule, such as:
9. (broadly, countable, uncountable) A rule, such as:
10. (broadly, countable, uncountable) A rule, such as:
11. (broadly, countable, uncountable) A rule, such as:
12. (countable, uncountable) The control and order brought about by the observance of such rules.
13. (countable, informal, uncountable) A person or group that act(s) with authority to uphold such rules and order (for example, one or more police officers).
14. (countable, uncountable) The profession that deals with such rules (as lawyers, judges, police officers, etc).
15. (countable, uncountable) Jurisprudence, the field of knowledge which encompasses these rules.
16. (countable, uncountable) Litigation; legal action (as a means of maintaining or restoring order, redressing wrongs, etc).
17. (countable, uncommon, uncountable) An allowance of distance or time (a head start) given to a weaker (human or animal) competitor in a race, to make the race more fair.
18. (countable, uncountable) A mode of operation of the flight controls of a fly-by-wire aircraft.
19. (countable, uncountable) One of two metaphysical forces ruling the world in some fantasy settings, also called order, and opposed to chaos.
20. (countable, historical, uncountable) An oath sworn before a court, especially disclaiming a debt. (Chiefly in the phrases "wager of law", "wage one's law", "perform one's law", "lose one's law".)

Verb

1. (obsolete) To work as a lawyer; to practice law.
2. (ambitransitive, dialectal) To prosecute or sue (someone), to litigate.
3. (nonstandard) To rule over (with a certain effect) by law; to govern.
4. (informal) To enforce the law.
5. To subject to legal restrictions.

Intj

An exclamation of mild surprise; lawks; in interjections, a minced oath for Lord.

Synonyms

rule

regulation

jurisprudence

statute

act

order

decree

commandment

custom

principle

regulations

ordinance

legislation

rules

code

constitution

command

justice

edict

enactment

customs

🛃

tradition

canon

legal

precept

police

👮

prohibition

way

police force

constabulary

practice of law

model

appointed

authority

made

laws

mandate

punish

habit

created

practice

directive

control

advice

pawn

policeman

👮‍♂️

natural law

clause

pact

power

Translations

loi

Gesetz

ley

legge

droit

lei

wet

lex

Recht

diritto

νόμος

derecho

llei

direito

Pronounced as (IPA)

/lɔː/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: lawe

Inherited from Old English: lagu

Cognate with Scots: law

Cognate with Icelandic: lög

Cognate with Faroese: lóg

Cognate with Norwegian: lov

Cognate with Swedish: lag

Cognate with Danish: lov

Cognate with Finnish: laki

In summary

From Middle English lawe, laȝe, from Old English lagu (“law”), borrowed from Old Norse lǫg (“law”, literally “things laid down or firmly established”), originally the plural of lag (“layer, stratum, a laying in order, measure, stroke”), from Proto-Germanic *lagą (“that which is laid down”), from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- (“to lie”). Cognate with Scots law (“law”), Icelandic lög (“things laid down, law”), Faroese lóg (“law”), Norwegian lov (“law”), Swedish lag (“law”), Danish lov (“law”), Finnish laki (“law”). Compare typologically distant cognate Russian уложе́ние (uložénije). Displaced native Old English ǣ and ġesetnes. More at lay.
Not related to legal, nor to French loi, Spanish ley, all of which ultimately derive from Latin lēx, from Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- (“to gather”).

Sentences

He is an expert in business and tax law .

That was the law of hospitality .

This is a consequence of Gauss's law .