Act of Parliament
Preserved but no longer current.
This is the official name for a measure which has become the law of the land. The word Bill is applied to a measure on its introduction, and for it to become an Act it has to be read three times in each House of Parliament (during which time it is debated) and receive the royal assent. The Acts of each session are arranged m chapters and officially quoted according to the year of the reign m which they are passed.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Act of Parliament” mean?
This is the official name for a measure which has become the law of the land. The word Bill is applied to a measure on its introduction, and for it to become an Act it has to be read three times in each House of Parliament (during which time it is debated) and receive the royal assent. The Acts of each session are arranged m chapters and officially quoted according to the year of the reign m which they are passed.
Is “Act of Parliament” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.