[sen.ate] n [ME senat, fr. OF, fr. L senatus, fr. sen-, senex old, old man--more at senior] (13c) 1: an assembly or council usu. possessing high deliberative and legislative functions: as a: the supreme council of the ancient Roman republic and empire b: the second chamber in the bicameral legislature of a major political unit (as a nation, state, or province)
2: the hall or chamber in which a senate meets
3: a governing body of some universities charged with maintaining academic standards and regulations and usu. composed of the principal or representative members of the faculty