# Law & Government **Type:** Topic **Words:** 95 ## About Rules, rights, courts, institutions, and public administration. ## Words by Level ### A1 - rule — An instruction that says what you are or are not allowed to do.; frequency rank 1440 ### A2 - police — The official organization, and its members, whose job is to keep order, prevent crime, and make sure people obey the law.; frequency rank 342 - law — An official rule that everyone in a country or community must obey.; frequency rank 714 - court — A place where legal cases are heard and judged.; frequency rank 740 - government — The group of people who officially control and run a country.; frequency rank 882 - license — An official document that gives you permission to do or own something.; frequency rank 2180 - illegal — Not allowed by the law.; frequency rank 2247 - ID card - enter upon — to take possession of land or property - sign over — to transfer ownership formally by signing a document - strike off — to remove a name or item from an official list ### B1 - judge — An official who controls a court of law and decides how criminals should be punished.; frequency rank 969 - duty — Something you have to do because it is right or because the law or your job requires it.; frequency rank 1200 - vote — To formally show which person or choice you support in an election or decision.; frequency rank 1464 - legal — Allowed or required by law.; frequency rank 1869 - authority — The power or right to give orders and make people obey.; frequency rank 2599 - policy — An official plan or set of rules that a government, company, or person decides to follow.; frequency rank 2697 - election — An event in which people vote to choose a leader or representative.; frequency rank 3253 - permit — To allow someone to do something.; frequency rank 4265 - settlement — An official agreement that ends a dispute, often without going to court.; frequency rank 5917 - constitution — The set of basic laws and principles by which a country or organization is governed.; frequency rank 6801 - regulation — An official rule made by a government or organization.; frequency rank 12559 - requirement — Something that you must have or do, especially by rule or law.; frequency rank 15904 - copyright — The legal right to control who can copy, publish, and sell a creative work.; frequency rank 16596 - swear in — to admit someone formally to office by having them take an oath ### B2 - penalty — A punishment given for breaking a rule or law.; frequency rank 4762 - parliament — The group of elected people who make a country's laws.; frequency rank 6148 - obligation — Something you must do because of a law, promise, or moral duty.; frequency rank 7305 - chancellor — A senior government official, often in charge of finance or law.; frequency rank 7945 - legislation — A law or set of laws made by a government.; frequency rank 14523 - regency — government by a regent on behalf of a monarch who is absent, underage, or unable to rule; frequency rank 21870 - crier — historical: an official who publicly announced news, proclamations, or court proceedings; frequency rank 38655 - criterion — A standard or rule used to judge or compare things.; frequency rank 42955 - inquire into — to investigate or seek information about a matter ### C1 - warrant — An official document allowing police to search, seize, or arrest someone.; frequency rank 2498 - verdict — The decision a jury or judge makes about whether someone is guilty in a court case.; frequency rank 5167 - ruling — An official decision made by a court or someone in authority.; frequency rank 7559 - magistrate — An official who acts as a judge in a lower court, dealing with minor offences.; frequency rank 7750 - jurisdiction — The official power to make legal decisions and apply the law.; frequency rank 8165 - patent — An official right giving an inventor sole control over making and selling an invention for a set period.; frequency rank 11113 - notary — a public official authorized to witness signatures, administer oaths, and certify that documents are genuine; frequency rank 14173 - loophole — an ambiguity, omission, or exception in a law or rule that allows its purpose to be avoided; frequency rank 20488 - entitlement — right granted by law or contract (especially a right to benefits); frequency rank 35335 - suffrage — the legal right to vote in political elections; frequency rank 45422 - comply with — to act according to a rule, requirement, or request - conform to — to follow or meet a stated rule, standard, or expectation - preside over — to lead or hold authority over an organization or activity ### C2 - coroner — A public official who presides over an inquest into unnatural deaths, and who may have (or historically had) additional powers such as investigating cases of treasure trove.; frequency rank 6269 - eviction — the expulsion of someone, such as a tenant, from the possession of land by process of law; frequency rank 17583 - evict — expel from one's property or force to move out by a legal process; frequency rank 21379 - diocese — a district under the pastoral and administrative authority of a bishop; frequency rank 30342 - transgression — A violation of a law, duty or commandment.; frequency rank 31840 - coastguard — chiefly British, an official employed to watch coastal waters, help vessels in danger, and enforce maritime law; frequency rank 40010 - intendant — a public administrator or governor, especially an official in historical France, Spain, Portugal, or their colonies; frequency rank 47790 - functionary — an official, especially one in a government or large organization, who performs prescribed duties; frequency rank 70630 - laissez-faire — an economic doctrine or policy favoring minimal government intervention in trade, industry, and markets; frequency rank 79274 - sequestration — law: the seizure, isolation, or placing in custody of property by legal authority; frequency rank 83108 - droit — a legal right, entitlement, or lawful claim; frequency rank 85234 - usurpation — the wrongful seizure and exercise of power, office, authority, or a right; frequency rank 104470 - abrogation — the formal repeal, abolition, or annulment of a law, agreement, right, or custom; frequency rank 198976 - chieftainship — the position, authority, or period of rule of a chieftain; frequency rank 230368 - purveyance — historical British law: the Crown's right to requisition provisions, transport, or other goods and services for royal use at fixed prices; frequency rank 342211 - monism — The doctrine that there is a single source of political authority, especially that the church is subordinate to the state or vice versa.; frequency rank 392326 - malversation — corrupt or dishonest conduct in a public office, trust, or administrative role; frequency rank 617668 - maladministration — faulty, improper, or inefficient management, especially by a public authority; frequency rank 649681 - cursitor — historical English law: a clerk in the Court of Chancery who prepared original writs issued as a matter of routine; frequency rank 959532 - lastage — A duty exacted, in some fairs or markets, for the right to carry things where one will. - amercement — historical law: a monetary penalty whose amount was set at the discretion of a court or lord - muniment — a legal deed, charter, or other document preserved as evidence of a right or title - probate — the legal process of establishing that a deceased person's will is valid - mistrial — a trial that is ended without a valid result because of a serious procedural problem or a jury that cannot agree - curfew — a rule requiring people to remain indoors or at home during specified hours - quorum — the minimum number of members who must be present for a group to conduct official business - subpoena — a formal legal order requiring someone to give testimony or provide evidence in a proceeding - adhere to — to follow a rule, principle, or agreed requirement - clamp down — to take strict action to stop an unwanted activity - encroach upon — to gradually intrude on another person's space, rights, or activities ### C2+ - edict — an official order or proclamation issued by an authority - decree — an official order having the force of law - malfeasance — wrongdoing, especially misconduct by a public official - bailiff — an official who maintains order in a court or executes legal writs - cabal — a secret group plotting against a government or authority - congress — a formal assembly of representatives, or a coming together - directive — an official instruction or order issued by an authority - enfranchisement — the granting of the right to vote or of civil liberties - impeachment — the formal charging of a public official with misconduct - infraction — a breach or violation of a law, rule, or agreement - junket — a trip taken by an official at public expense, often as a perk - proclamation — an official public announcement - bylaw — a rule made by an organization or local authority to regulate its affairs - chancery — a court of equity or the public records office of a court - constitutionist — a supporter or adherent of a particular constitution or constitutional government - ordinance — an authoritative rule or law, especially one made by a municipality - summons — an order to appear before a court or authority - dicast — a citizen of ancient Athens chosen to serve as both judge and juror in a popular court