- bicameral (not comparable) Being or having a system with two, often unequal, chambers or compartments; of, signifying, relating to, or being the product of such a two-chambered system. the bicameral anatomy of the brain
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A Bicameral system of government is one where there are two legislative or parliamentary chambers. The word comes from the Latin "bi" (meaning two) and "camera" (meaning chamber). [1] In most cases they have different numbers of members.
Bicameralism is the practice of having a legislature divided into two separate assemblies, chambers, or houses, known as a bicameral legislature.Bicameralism is distinguished from unicameralism, in which all members deliberate and vote as a single group.
Bicameralism (the condition of being divided into "two-chambers") is a controversial hypothesis in psychology and neuroscience which argues that the human mind once operated in a state in which cognitive functions were divided between one part of the brain which appears to be "speaking", and a second part which listens and obeys—a bicameral mind, and that the evolutionary breakdown of this division gave rise to consciousness in humans.
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Etymology
From bi- + Latin camera (“chamber”) + -al.
Pronunciation
1. (UK) IPA(key): /bʌɪˈkaməɹəl/ 2. Hyphenation: bi‧cam‧er‧al
Adjective
bicameral (not comparable) 1. Being or having a system with two, often unequal, chambers or compartments; of, signifying, relating to, or being the product of such a two-chambered system. 1.1. the bicameralanatomy of the brain 1.1. 1891, John William Burgess, Political Science and Comparative Constitutional Law, Volume 2, page 108, 1.1.1. By preventing legislative usurpation in the beginning, the bicamerallegislature avoids executive usurpation in the end. 1.2. 1911, Saxony, article in Encycl...
Etymology
bi- + cameral; cf. French bicaméral, English bicameral.
Pronunciation
1. (Balearic, Central) IPA(key): /bi.kə.məˈɾal/ 2. (Valencian) IPA(key): /bi.ka.meˈɾal/ 3. Rhymes: -al
Adjective
bicameral (masculine and feminine plural bicamerals) 1. bicameral
Etymology
bi- + cameral, or borrowed from French bicaméral.
Pronunciation
1. IPA(key): /bikameˈɾal/ 2. Hyphenation: bi‧ca‧me‧ral
Adjective
bicameral (plural bicamerales) 1. bicameral
1. Composed of or based on two legislative chambers or branches: a bicameral legislature. 2. Medicine Composed of or having two chambers, as an abscess divided by a septum. [ bi- + Latin camera, chamber; see chamber + -al .]
(of a parliament, congress, etc.) having two parts, such as the Senate and the House of Representatives in the U.S.
- Theory of Bicameral Congress
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Although the ideas on which bicameralism are based can be traced back to the theories developed in Ancient Sumer and later ancient Greece, ancient India, and Rome, recognizable bicameral institutions first arose in medieval Europe where they were associated with separate representation of different estates of the realm. For example, one house would represent the aristocracy, and the other would represent the commoners. The Founding Fathers of the United States also favored a bicameral legislature, though not based on class distinction. As part of the Great Compromise, they invented a new rationale for bicameralism in which the upper house would have states represented equally, and the lower house would have them represented by population. In subsequent constitution making, federal states have often adopted bicameralism, and the solution remains popular when regional differences or sensitivities require more explicit representation, with the second chamber representing the constituen...
Some countries, such as Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, Russia, Switzerland, and the United States, link their bicameral systems to their federalpolitical structure. In the United States, Australia, and Mexico, for example, each state is given the same number of seats in the legislature's upper house. This takes account of population differences between states — it is designed to ensure that smaller states are not overshadowed by more populous ones. (In the United States, the deal that ensured this arrangement is known as the Connecticut Compromise.) In the lower houses of each country, these provisions do not apply, and seats are allocated based purely on population. The bicameral system, therefore, is a method of combining the principle of democratic equality with the principle of federalism — all citizens are equal in the lower houses, while all states are equal in the upper houses. In Canada, the country as a wh...
Parliament in Australia, which consists of House of Representatives and Senate; all of the state parliaments except Queensland's are also bicameral.
List of national legislaturesLower houseUpper houseBicameral definition is - having, consisting of, or based on two legislative chambers. How to use bicameral in a sentence.