By-law

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  By-law \By"-law`\ (b[imac]"-l[add]`), n. [Cf. Sw. bylag, D.
     bylov, Icel. b[=y]arl["o]g, fr. Sw. & Dan. by town, Icel.
     b[ae]r, byr (fr. b[^u]a to dwell) + the word for law; hence,
     a law for one town, a special law. Cf. {Birlaw} and see
     {Law}.]
     1. A local or subordinate law; a private law or regulation


        made by a corporation for its own government.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              There was likewise a law to restrain the by-laws, or
              ordinances of corporations.           --Bacon.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              The law or institution; to which are added two
              by-laws, as a comment upon the general law.
                                                    --Addison.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. A law that is less important than a general law or
        constitutional provision, and subsidiary to it; a rule
        relating to a matter of detail; as, civic societies often
        adopt a constitution and by-laws for the government of
        their members. In this sense the word has probably been
        influenced by by, meaning secondary or aside.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  bylaw
       n : a rule made by a local authority to regulate its own affairs
           [syn: {bye law}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  28 Moby Thesaurus words for "bylaw":
     act, bill, canon, decree, dictate, dictation, edict, enactment,
     form, formality, formula, formulary, institution, jus, law,
     legislation, lex, measure, ordinance, ordonnance, prescript,
     prescription, regulation, rubric, rule, ruling, standing order,
     statute