Origin: Latin suffix -ate
Senate has 4 different meanings across 2 categories:
assembly possessing high legislative powers
"The new bill will not pass until the senate, an assembly possessing high legislative powers, votes on it during their final session."
the upper house of the United States Congress
"The senator argued that the new bill required immediate approval from the senate before it could become law."
In some bicameral legislative systems, the upper house or chamber.
"The new tax bill was approved by the senate before moving to the lower house for final passage."
In plain English: A senate is a group of elected officials who work together to make laws for a country or state.
"The senators voted on the new bill in the senate."
Usage: The senate refers specifically to the upper house of a bicameral legislature, distinct from the lower house which is often called an assembly or representatives. Use this term when discussing governmental bodies like the US Senate rather than generic councils or advisory groups.
Any of several legislative bodies. (In countries which have multiple legislative bodies, the Senate is often the more senior.)
"The committee members debated whether to propose their bill in the House or wait for it to be introduced in the other senate."
The word entered English through Middle and Old French, ultimately deriving from the Latin senex, which means "old." Originally referring to a council of elders in Rome, it came to denote the legislative body known as a senate.