lawgiver means one who provides laws to a society. It carries an Arena rating of 1440, earned across 55 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, lawgiver ranks #2,751 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #4,887 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #5,077 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #5,934 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words.
lawgiver is pronounced /ˈlɔːˌɡɪv.ə/.
Why “lawgiver” is a great word
LAWGIVER — [Noun] One who provides or enacts a foundational code of laws for a society. From Middle English lawe ȝivere, lawe-ȝivere, law ȝevar, equivalent to law (from Old English lagu, of Old Norse origin) + giver (from Old English giefan, "to give"). First attested in the late 14th century. Unlike a "legislator"—who operates within an established system—or a "judge"—who interprets from a fixed text—the lawgiver is the primal architect, imposing form upon the void of custom. It is the silhouette of Moses descending the mountain with tablets of stone, the stylus pressed into wet clay to fix the price of grain, and the echo of a pronouncement that will outlive the civilization it binds. Every code, however weathered, begins with a voice willing to say, 'Let this be so.'
Etymology
From Middle English lawe ȝivere, lawe-ȝivere, law ȝevar; equivalent to law + giver.
noun
- One who provides laws to a society.
- Any lawmaker.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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