Senator Means Old Man
A senator is a member of a senate. The Latin word comes from senex, old man, because the senate was a council of elders.
A senator is a member of a senate, the upper chamber in many legislatures. The name is unflattering to the young: Latin *senator* comes from *senex*, an old man, because the Roman senate was in origin a council of elders. The same root gives *senior*, *senile* and *sir*.
- A member of a senate. *A senator for Ohio.*
- A member of a university governing body. *The academic senate.*
- Senatorial — relating to senators. *A senatorial election.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | senator | A retiring senator. |
| Plural | senators | One hundred senators. |
| Adjective | senatorial | Senatorial approval. |
| Related | senate | The Senate voted. |
| Related | senior | A senior partner. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Each American state elects two senators.Regardless of population.
- The Roman senate advised the magistrates.It was not a legislature in the modern sense.
- The bill returns to the senate.Bicameral systems.
The old family
- Senator — a member of a council of elders
- Senior — older, or of higher rank
- Senile — showing the effects of old age
- Sir — from *senior*, through French
- Signor and señor — the same root in Italian and Spanish
From Latin *senator*, from *senex*, old man. The Roman senate began as an advisory council of heads of families and became the central institution of the republic.
Are *sir* and *senator* related?
Yes. Sir comes from Latin *senior*, the comparative of *senex*, so both descend from the word for an old man.
Did the Roman senate make laws?
Not formally at first. It advised magistrates and controlled finance and foreign policy, and its advice was rarely ignored.