law

Where “law” sits in English frequency

Definition

1. 1
   The body of binding rules and regulations, customs, and standards established in a community by its legislative and judicial authorities.
2. 2
   The body of binding rules and regulations, customs, and standards established in a community by its legislative and judicial authorities.
3. 3
   The body of binding rules and regulations, customs, and standards established in a community by its legislative and judicial authorities.
4. 4
   A binding regulation or custom established in a community in this way.
5. 5
   A rule, such as:
6. 6
   A rule, such as:
7. 7
   A rule, such as:
8. 8
   A rule, such as:
9. 9
   A rule, such as:
10. 10
    A rule, such as:
11. 11
    A rule, such as:
12. 12
    The control and order brought about by the observance of such rules.
13. 13
    A person or group that act(s) with authority to uphold such rules and order (for example, one or more police officers).
14. 14
    The profession that deals with such rules (as lawyers, judges, police officers, etc).
15. 15
    Jurisprudence, the field of knowledge which encompasses these rules.
16. 16
    Litigation; legal action (as a means of maintaining or restoring order, redressing wrongs, etc).
17. 17
    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. 18
    A mode of operation of the flight controls of a fly-by-wire aircraft.
19. 19
    One of two metaphysical forces ruling the world in some fantasy settings, also called order, and opposed to chaos.
20. 20
    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".)

Etymology

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”).

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