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BIBLIOGRAPHIC IDENTITYetymonline-legislation

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historical dictionaryetymonline-legislation

Legislation — Origin and history

AUTHOR / EDITOR
Douglas Harper
YEAR
2026
PUBLISHER
Online Etymology Dictionary
DOI
Not recorded
SOURCE TYPE
historical dictionary
EXTERNAL RECORD
OPEN ORIGINAL ↗
4CANONICAL EDGES
0WITNESSES
1COMPARISONS
0CONTEXT LINKS
1RANKED REVEALS
2DISPUTES
1JOURNEY STAGES
1WORD DOSSIERS
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CONTRARIAN TRUTH CLAIMS

RANKED REVEALS THAT CITE THIS SOURCE

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RANK 13GRADE Asupports

Legislation came before legislate.

The noun preserves a Latin law-bearing or law-proposing compound. English legislate was later back-formed from the already existing noun family.

*leǵ-

*leǵ- → lēx → lēgislātiō, lēgislātiōnem → législation → legislation

Headword and linked legislate history

Documents the noun history and later back-formed verb.

legislation dossier ↗truth record ↗89UNVEILING
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SCHOLARLY DISAGREEMENT

DISPUTE POSITIONS THAT CITE THIS SOURCE

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CANONICAL RELATIONSHIP CLAIMS

EDGES THAT CITE THIS SOURCE

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EDGE 453supportsprobable

legislation → législation

Present-Day English → French · borrowing

SOUND
English legislation borrows French législation with learned English stress and pronunciation.
MEANING
The making of laws and the resulting body of laws remain central while legislative-business senses develop.
SCHOLAR / EDITOR
Etymonline · CNRTL editors
Headword etymology: from French législation

Documents French transmission and the 1650s English report.

OPEN THE PERMANENT CLAIM ↗
EDGE 454supportsestablished

législation → lēgislātiō, lēgislātiōnem

French → Medieval Latin · borrowing

SOUND
French législation borrows Medieval or Late Latin legislatio with regular Romance adaptation.
MEANING
Proposal or bearing of a law develops into law-making authority and a body of laws.
SCHOLAR / EDITOR
CNRTL · Etymonline editors
Headword etymology: French from Late Latin legislatio

Documents the French-to-Latin route.

OPEN THE PERMANENT CLAIM ↗
EDGE 455supportsestablished

lēgislātiō, lēgislātiōnem → lēx

Medieval Latin → Latin · compound component

SOUND
Latin legislatio contains legis, the genitive of lēx “law”; this path follows the law component while lātio is modeled separately.
MEANING
Law is the object being proposed, borne forward, or enacted.
SCHOLAR / EDITOR
Merriam-Webster · CNRTL · Etymonline editors
Headword etymology: legis latio

Analyzes the formation as law-bearing or law-proposing.

OPEN THE PERMANENT CLAIM ↗
EDGE 460supportsestablished

lēgislātiō, lēgislātiōnem → lātiō

Medieval Latin → Latin · compound component

SOUND
The lātio component is preserved inside legislatio alongside genitive legis; no sound change beyond compounding is asserted.
MEANING
Bearing or proposing supplies the action applied to a law.
SCHOLAR / EDITOR
Merriam-Webster · CNRTL · Etymonline editors
Headword etymology: legis latio

Analyzes the noun as law-bearing or law-proposing.

OPEN THE PERMANENT CLAIM ↗
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LEXICAL ATTESTATIONS

WITNESSES REPORTED BY THIS SOURCE

0
No lexical witness currently cites this source.
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COMPARATIVE EVIDENCE

COGNATES, DESCENDANTS, AND RELATIVES

1
legislation

legislate

English

later back-formation from legislation or legislator

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GEOGRAPHIC AND TEMPORAL CLAIMS

JOURNEY STAGES THAT CITE THIS SOURCE

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NON-GENEALOGICAL CONNECTIONS

HISTORICAL CONTEXT, KEPT SEPARATE

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No non-genealogical context link currently cites this source.
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WORD-FAMILY REUSE

DOSSIERS THAT DEPEND ON THIS SOURCE

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legislation8 CLAIM LINKS↗

3 entry-scoped citations map reviewed dossier paths onto the canonical claims above.