Bundesrat

American  

[boon-duhs-raht, boon-duhs-raht] / ˈbʊn dəsˌrɑt, ˈbʊn dəsˌrɑt /

noun

1. the upper house of the federal legislature of Germany.

2. the federal council of Switzerland and of Austria.

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Bundesrat British  

/ ˈbʊndəsˌrɑːt /

noun

1. (in Germany and formerly in West Germany) the council of state ministers with certain legislative and administrative powers, representing the state governments at federal level

2. (in Austria) an assembly with some legislative power that represents state interests at the federal level

3. (in Switzerland) the executive council of the confederation

4. (in the German empire from 1871–1918) the council representing the governments of the constituent states, with administrative, judicial, and legislative powers

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Etymology

Origin of Bundesrat

1870–75; < German, equivalent to Bundes, genitive of Bund federation + Rat council

Example Sentences

Last week, Germany's Upper House, the Bundesrat, approved measures by Parliament to allow wolves to be hunted.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

The Bundesrat, Germany’s upper chamber, would then take up the matter in April, meaning the earliest it could come into force would be a month later.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 9, 2022

If the upper house, or Bundesrat, approves Friday’s bill, workers in health care facilities will need to show they are fully vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19 by mid-March next year.

From Washington Times • Dec. 10, 2021

Renzi’s idea was to abolish the Senate in its present role, transforming it, greatly reduced in size, into an assembly in some ways similar to the German Bundesrat.

From The New Yorker • Jun. 22, 2015

But in practice the Reichstag is nothing but a debating society because of the preponderating power of the Bundesrat, or upper chamber.

From My Four Years in Germany by Gerard, James W. (James Watson)