noun
1.
a. : an enactment of a legislature affecting the public at large throughout the entire territory (as state or nation) subject to the jurisdiction of the legislature : general law — called also public act, public statute
b. : an enactment of a legislature (as a municipal charter) affecting the public at large within a particular subdivision of the legislative jurisdiction
2. : the division of law that adjusts the relations of individuals with the state and regulates the organization and conduct of the machinery of government — contrasted with private law
3. : international law regulating the relations among sovereign states or nations as distinguished from private international law