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amendment
amendment in law, alteration of the provisions of a legal document. The term usually refers to the alteration of a statute or a constitution , but it is also applied in parliamentary law to proposed changes to a bill or motion under consideration, and in judicial procedure to the correction of errors. A statute may be amended by the passage of an act that is identified specifically as an amendment to it or by a new statute that renders some of its provisions nugatory. Written constitutions, however, for the most part must be amended by an exactly prescribed procedure. The Constitution of the United States , as provided in Article 5, may be amended when two thirds of each house of Congress approves a proposed amendment (approval by the president is not required), and three fourths of the states thereafter ratify it, sometimes within a set period. Congress decides whether state ratification shall be by vote of the legislatures or by popularly elected conventions. Only in the case of the Twenty-first Amendment (repealing prohibition) has the convention system been used. In many U.S. states, a proposed amendment to the state constitution must be submitted to the voters in a referendum. |
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"amendment." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "amendment." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-amendmen.html "amendment." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-amendmen.html |
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Amendment
AMENDMENTThe modification of materials by the addition of supplemental information; the deletion of unnecessary, undesirable, or outdated information; or the correction of errors existing in the text. In practice, a change in the pleadings—statements of the allegations of the parties in a lawsuit—may be achieved if the parties agree to the amendment or if the court in which the proceeding is pending grants a motion for the amendment made by one party. A judgment may be altered by an amendment if a motion to do so is made within a certain time after its entry and granted by the court. The amendment of pleadings and judgments is regulated by state codes of civil procedure and the rules of federal civil procedure. A constitution or a statute may be changed by an amendment. A will, trust, corporate charter, and other legal documents are also subject to amendment. cross-references |
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"Amendment." West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Amendment." West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3437700258.html "Amendment." West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3437700258.html |
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amend
a·mend / əˈmend/ • v. [tr.] make minor changes in (a text) in order to make it fairer, more accurate, or more up-to-date: the rule was amended to apply to nonmembers. ∎ modify formally, as a legal document or legislative bill: pressuring Panama to amend its banking laws. ∎ make better; improve: if you can amend people's mind-set. ∎ archaic put right: things had gone wrong but had been amended. DERIVATIVES: a·mend·a·ble adj. a·mend·er n. |
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"amend." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "amend." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-amend.html "amend." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-amend.html |
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amendment
a·mend·ment / əˈmen(d)mənt/ • n. a minor change in a document. ∎ a change or addition to a legal or statutory document: an amendment to existing bail laws. ∎ (Amendment) an article added to the U.S. Constitution: the First Amendment. ∎ something that is added to soil in order to improve its texture or fertility. |
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Cite this article
"amendment." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "amendment." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-amendment.html "amendment." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-amendment.html |
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amend
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T. F. HOAD. "amend." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "amend." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-amend.html T. F. HOAD. "amend." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-amend.html |
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amend
amend
•command, demand, remand
•reprimand • countermand
•amend, append, apprehend, ascend, attend, befriend, bend, blend, blende, commend, comprehend, condescend, contend, depend, emend, end, expend, extend, fend, forfend, friend, impend, interdepend, lend, mend, misapprehend, misspend, offend, Oostende, Ostend, perpend, portend, rend, reprehend, scrag-end, send, spend, subtend, suspend, tail end, tend, transcend, trend, underspend, upend, vend, weekend, wend
•U-bend • dividend • bookend
•ill-omened • bin-end • stipend
•penfriend • boyfriend • girlfriend
•godsend • parascend • repetend
•ingrained, self-contained, self-restrained, self-sustained, unascertained, unconstrained, undertrained, undrained, unexplained, unfeigned, unrestrained, unstained, unstrained, unsustained, untrained
•crackbrained • harebrained
•featherbrained • tearstained
•fiend, unscreened, unweaned
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"amend." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "amend." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-amend.html "amend." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-amend.html |
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