Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - law

 I. noun  Etymology: Middle English, from Old English lagu, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse log ~; akin to Old English licgan to lie — more at lie  Date: before 12th century  1.  a.  (1) a binding custom or practice of a community ; a rule of conduct or action prescribed or formally recognized as binding or enforced by a controlling authority  (2) the whole body of such customs, practices, or rules  (3) common ~  b.  (1) the control brought about by the existence or enforcement of such ~  (2) the action of ~s considered as a means of redressing wrongs; also litigation  (3) the agency of or an agent of established ~  c. a rule or order that it is advisable or obligatory to observe  d. something compatible with or enforceable by established ~  e. control, authority  2.  a. often capitalized the revelation of the will of God set forth in the Old Testament  b. capitalized the first part of the Jewish scriptures ; Pentateuch, Torah — see bible table  3. a rule of construction or procedure the ~s of poetry  4. the whole body of ~s relating to one subject  5.  a. the legal profession  b. ~ as a department of knowledge ; jurisprudence  c. legal knowledge  6.  a. a statement of an order or relation of phenomena that so far as is known is invariable under the given conditions  b. a general relation proved or assumed to hold between mathematical or logical expressions Synonyms:  ~, rule, regulation, precept, statute, ordinance, canon mean a principle governing action or procedure. ~ implies imposition by a sovereign authority and the obligation of obedience on the part of all subject to that authority obey the ~. rule applies to more restricted or specific situations the rules of the game. regulation implies prescription by authority in order to control an organization or system regulations affecting nuclear power plants. precept commonly suggests something advisory and not obligatory communicated typically through teaching the precepts of effective writing. statute implies a ~ enacted by a legislative body a statute requiring the use of seat belts. ordinance applies to an order governing some detail of procedure or conduct enforced by a limited authority such as a municipality a city ordinance. canon suggests in nonreligious use a principle or rule of behavior or procedure commonly accepted as a valid guide the canons of good taste.  Synonym: see in addition hypothesis.  II. verb  Date: circa 1550  intransitive verb litigate  transitive verb chiefly dialect to sue or prosecute at ~ LAW  I. biographical name  (Andrew) Bonar 1858-1923 British (Canadian-born) statesman  II. biographical name Edward 1750-1818 1st Baron Ellenborough English jurist  III. biographical name John 1671-1729 Scottish financier & speculator  IV. biographical name William 1686-1761 English writer