A senate is an upper house of lawmakers. The United States Senate, the French Senate, a senate committee.
It takes a capital letter when it names a particular one. Many countries have one, and it is usually the smaller and more deliberative of two chambers, with the lower house holding the money. Britain has no senate — the House of Lords does the equivalent job — which is why British readers meet the word mostly in American news. Note that in universities the senate is the academic governing body, and that senator is the member.
1nounsenateThe upper house of a parliament in many countries.
“The bill passed the Senate by two votes.”
2noungoverningThe governing academic body of a university.
“The senate meets three times a year.”
senate is a legislative body.
Latin senatus was the council of elders, from senex, an old man — the same root as senior and senile. The Roman senate was named for the age of its members, and every senate since has inherited the claim to be the wiser chamber.
Proto-Indo-European
*sénos
Latin
senātus — council of elders; a senate
Old French
senat
Middle English
senat
English, today
senate
Built from
From Middle English senat, from Old French senat, from Latin senātus (“council of elders; a senate”), from senex (“old”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA