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Definition 2024

bylaw

bylaw

See also: by-law

English

Alternative forms

Noun

bylaw ‎(plural bylaws)

  1. A local custom or law of a settlement or district.
  2. A rule made by a local authority to regulate its own affairs.
  3. A law or rule governing the internal affairs of an organization (e.g., corporation or business).

See also

Translations

References

  1. ↑ Oxford English Dictionary, "by-law | bye-law, n." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1888.

Etymology

From Old Norse by ‎(“town; settlement”) + lag ‎(“[something] laid down; law; fellowship”), apparently a variant of Middle English byrlaw, from Old Norse býjar ‎(“town's; settlement's”) + lǫg ‎(“laws; jurisdiction”). Byrlaw is attested earlier in English but is unattested in Old Norse and the cognates in Scandinavian languages follow the development of bylaw: Danish bylov ‎(“municipal law”), Swedish bylag and byalag.[1]

Pronunciation

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