legislate
UK[ˈledʒ.ɪ.sleɪt]US[ˈledʒ.ɪ.sleɪt]
v
to make or pass laws.
v
to bring about or influence by making laws.
Morpheme Breakdown
legis
late
legis
law
late
to carry, to bring
Etymology
the word 'legislate' is a modern english back-formation from the earlier noun 'legislation'. it directly combines two latin elements: 'legis', the genitive form of 'lex' (law), and 'late', derived from 'latus' meaning 'carried' or 'brought'. the literal sense is 'to bring (forth) law'. this construction follows the pattern of other latin-derived verbs ending in '-ate', which often signify causing an action. thus, the core concept evolved from the concrete act of proposing and carrying a law into the modern abstract meaning of the process of making laws.
Analysis
Structure: legis (law) + late (to carry, to bring)
legis is from latin 'lex, legis' meaning 'law'. late is from latin 'latus', the past participle of 'ferre' meaning 'to carry, to bring'.
Examples
the new parliament will legislate on environmental protections.
congress has the power to legislate for the entire nation.
it is difficult to legislate against rapidly changing technology.