Lawmaker

How to spell lawmaker

8 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce lawmaker

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does lawmaker mean?

1. nounA person who creates or enacts laws, especially a member of a legislature.

Lawmaker in a sentence

• Each lawmaker voted on the new tax bill yesterday.

• The proposal was drafted by a veteran lawmaker from the coastal district.

Where does lawmaker come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This is a transparent native English compound, joining 'law' and 'maker', both of which trace back to the Germanic roots of Old English. 'Law' comes from the Old English 'lagu', borrowed in turn from an Old Norse word meaning 'something laid down or fixed', from the verb 'leggja', to lay; the underlying idea is of a rule that has been set or laid in place. 'Maker' is built from the Old English verb 'macian', meaning 'to make or shape', plus the agent ending '-er' that names the person who does something. The two pieces were fused into a single word to describe a person who frames and enacts laws, a usage that became common as parliaments and legislatures grew in prominence. Because each element is a plain everyday word, the compound is spelled exactly as its parts sound, with no silent letters or surprises.

How the word is built

• law (a rule enforced by the state)
• maker (one who makes), agent compound