lawgiver

[ law-giv-er ]

noun

1. a person who promulgates a law or a code of laws.

lawgiver

/ ˈlɔːˌɡɪvə /

noun

1. the giver of a code of laws
2. Also calledlawmaker a maker of laws

Derived Forms

• ˈlawˌgiving, nounadjective

Other Words From

• lawgiving noun adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of lawgiver¹

1350–1400; Middle English lawe givere. See law ¹, giver ( def )

Example Sentences

“If you want to respect the rule of law, you’ve got to start from the original lawgiver, which was Moses,” Landry said at the bill signing ceremony in June.

From Salon

Trump, the lawgiver, the dispenser of rights, has made abundantly clear that, under a second Trump regime, we will have to fight to keep the civil liberties we regard as sacred.

From Salon

“The lawgivers of antiquity...legislated for single cities,” Adams observed, but “who can legislate for 20 or 30 states, each of which is greater than Greece or Rome at those times?”

From Literature

The God he describes in his work is neither a stern lawgiver nor a merciful redeemer but a close presence to whom we can always turn for intimacy.

From The New Yorker

Here is another problem: One of the roles of a president or other leader is to function as a lawgiver figure, a type of parental figure for a society.

From Salon

Related Words

• administrator
• council member
• deputy
• lawmaker
• leader
• member
• parliamentarian
• representative
• senator