/ˈbaɪ.lɔː/, /ˈbaɪ.lɔ/, /ˈbaɪ.lɑ/
OriginFrom Middle English bylawe, bilawe, partly from Old English bīlage (“bylaw”) and partly from a variant of Middle English byrelawe, birlawe, from Old Norse býjar (“town's; settlement's”) + lǫg (“laws; jurisdiction”). Byrlaw is attested earlier in English but is unattested in Old Norse and the cognates in Scandinavian languages follow the development of bylaw: Danish bylov (“municipal law”), Swedish bylag and byalag.
- A local custom or law of a settlement or district.
- in-plural, oftenA rule made by a local authority to regulate its own affairs.
- countable, in-plural, often, singularA numbered provision within such kind of legislation.
- A law or rule governing the internal affairs of an organization (e.g., corporation or business).
Formsbylaws(plural) · by-law(alternative) · byelaw(alternative, UK) · bye-law(alternative, UK) · byrlaw(alternative, obsolete) · birley(alternative, obsolete) · birlie(alternative, obsolete) · birlaw(alternative, obsolete) · burlaw(alternative, obsolete) · bourlaw(alternative, obsolete)