■ noun
1》 a rule or system of rules recognized by a country or community as regulating the actions of its members and enforced by the imposition of penalties.
↘such rules as a subject of study or as the basis of the legal profession.
↘statute ~ and the common ~.
↘something regarded as having binding force or effect: his word was ~.
↘( the ~ ) informal the police.
2》 a rule defining correct procedure or behaviour in a sport.
3》 a statement of fact, deduced from observation, to the effect that a particular natural or scientific phenomenon always occurs if certain conditions are present.
4》 the body of divine commandments as expressed in the Bible or other religious texts.
↘( the Law ) the Pentateuch.
↘(also the Law of Moses ) the precepts of the Pentateuch.
Phrases
be a ~ unto oneself behave in an unconventional or unpredictable manner.
lay down the ~ issue instructions in an authoritative or dogmatic way.
take the ~ into one's own hands punish someone according to one's own ideas of justice, especially illegally or violently.
Origin
OE lagu , from ON lag 'something laid down or fixed', of Gmc origin and related to lay 1 .