bicameral

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adjective bi·cam·er·al \ (ˌ)bī-ˈkam-rəl , -ˈka-mə- \

Definition of bicameral

government :having, consisting of, or based on two legislative chambers (see ¹chamber 4a)

a bicameral legislature comprised of the House of Representatives and the Senate

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bicameralism

play \-rə-ˌli-zəm\ noun

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Recent Examples of bicameral from the Web

Caddy McKeown, D-Coos Bay, and Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario -- a bipartisan, bicameral quartet dubbed the Fab Four.

— the oregonian/oregonlive, OregonLive.com, "Oregon lawmakers hail session of progressive wins, but big budget problems lurk ahead," 8 July 2017
The suit, filed against the California secretary of state, Alex Padilla, who oversees election laws in California, calls for an increase in the membership of the bicameral Legislature, which since 1862 has capped the number of lawmakers at 120.

— thomas fuller, New York Times, "California’s Far North Deplores ‘Tyranny’ of the Urban Majority," 2 July 2017
Capriglione, Goldman, Turner and Nelson formed a bi-partisan, bicameral coalition to help Tarrant County College create broader investment options.

— dave montgomery, star-telegram.com, "Tarrant County lawmakers regain stature and clout in Austin," 3 June 2017
A bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers joined Trump, including House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Heidi Heitkamp, as well as anti-human trafficking experts and leaders.

— betsy klein, CNN, "Ivanka Trump hosts anti-human trafficking event amid White House chaos," 17 May 2017
Lawmakers in both parties want to convene a special congressional bipartisan, bicameral commission or a blue-ribbon panel of experts.

— ed o'keefe, chicagotribune.com, "After Comey firing, Democrats press for independent probe of Russia's meddling in election," 10 May 2017
The 1993 Constitution, approved by 52 percent of Peruvians, allowed immediate presidential reelection, abolished the bicameral structure and brought back capital punishment.

— orçun selçuk, Washington Post, "Here’s what Peru can teach Turkey about presidential power grabs," 2 May 2017
Prior to McCament’s memo, 10 members of the South Florida congressional delegation sent a bipartisan, bicameral letter to Homeland Security pushing for an extension of the immigration protection.

— jacqueline charles, miamiherald, "Senate Democrats to Trump administration: Let Haitians stay," 27 Apr. 2017
UPDATED JUNE 19: Added bicameral legislation, CARERS Act, that seeks to protect state medical marijuana programs, and enable research and veterans’ access.

— alicia wallace, The Cannabist, "Guide to federal marijuana bills, Congressional Cannabis Caucus (updated 6/19/17)," 3 Mar. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bicameral.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of bicameral

¹bi- + Late Latin camera chamber — more at chamber

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1832

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Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

BICAMERAL Defined for English Language Learners

bicameral

play

adjective

Definition of bicameral for English Language Learners

: having two parts

Medical Dictionary

bicameral

play

adjective bi·cam·er·al \ (ˈ)bī-ˈkam-(ə-)rəl \

medical Definition of bicameral

:having two chambers

Law Dictionary

bicameral

play

adjective bi·cam·er·al \ ˌbī-ˈka-mə-rəl \

legal Definition of bicameral

:having, consisting of, or based on two legislative chambers

a bicameral legislature

—

bicameralism

play \ˌbī-ˈka-mə-rə-ˌli-zəm\ noun

—

bicamerality

\ˌbī-ˌka-mə-ˈra-lə-tē\ noun

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bicameral

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Recent Examples of bicameral from the Web

Origin and Etymology of bicameral

Other Government and Politics Terms

BICAMERAL Defined for English Language Learners

bicameral

Definition of bicameral for English Language Learners

Medical Dictionary

bicameral

medical Definition of bicameral

Law Dictionary

bicameral

legal Definition of bicameral

bicameralism

bicamerality

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