législation

Forms

législation f (plural législations)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Late Latin lēgislātiō (“proposal of laws”),^[2][1][3] formed from lēgis, the genitive of lēx (“law”), and lātiō (“a proposing”), from lātum, the supine of ferō (“to bear”).^[2][4] Medieval Latin used the word for a collection of laws from about 1238.^[2]

After Oresme's use the word was rare until the 18th century.^[5] The Grand Robert and Rey hold that it was taken up again in 1721 from English legislation (before 1655), a word of the same origin,^[6][3] while the TLFi notes the meaning “power of making laws” in Trévoux in 1721 and a fresh use in 1789.^[2] It belongs with législateur and loi.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Nicole Oresme uses it in his translation of Aristotle's Politics (1372–1374) for the body of laws of a country or field.^[2] Littré quotes him: Nuisible à bonne legislation “harmful to good legislation”.^[7]

Semantic evolution

Taken up again in the 18th century, the word first meant the right or power of making laws (Trévoux, 1721), a sense now obsolete.^[2][5][4] The body of laws of a country, the main modern sense, is used again from 1789.^[2] From 1848 it also means the science or study of laws, as in législation comparée (1867),^[3][4] and in Kant's philosophy it named the influence of one faculty of the mind on the others.^[7][3] Larousse records in 1902 the sense “the legal texts on a given field”.^[4]

Timeline

• 1372–1374 – Oresme uses it in his Politiques.^[2]
• 1721 – The Dictionnaire de Trévoux defines it as the power of making laws and its exercise.^[2][4]
• 1789 – Marat uses it again for a body of laws.^[2]
• 1848 – It is used for the science of laws.^[3]
• 1867 – Littré records législation comparée.^[4]
• 1902 – Larousse records the sense “legal texts on a given field”.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. The body of laws and regulations of a country or of a given field, legislation: la législation douanière.^[5][2]
2. The science or study of laws: législation comparée.^[5][7]
3. (obsolete) The right or power of making laws.^[5][4]

Related words

• législateur
• législatif
• législature
• légiférer
• loi
• Latin lēx

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
3. ^ a b c d e Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
5. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette