noun

1. 1. all the rules of conduct established and enforced by the authority, legislation, or custom of a given community, state, or other group
   2. any one of such rules
2. the condition existing when obedience to such rules is general to establish law and order
3. the branch of knowledge dealing with such rules; jurisprudence
4. the system of courts in which such rules are referred to in defending one's rights, securing justice, etc. to resort to law to settle a matter
5. all such rules having to do with a particular sphere of human activity business law
6. common law, as distinguished from equity
7. the profession of lawyers, judges, etc.: often with the
8. 1. a sequence of events in nature or in human activities that has been observed to occur with unvarying uniformity under the same conditions
      often law of nature
   2. the formulation in words of such a sequence the law of gravitation, the law of diminishing returns
9. any rule or principle expected to be observed the laws of health, a law of grammar
10. inherent tendency; instinct the law of self-preservation
11. Eccles.
    1. a divine commandment
    2. all divine commandments collectively
12. Math., Logic, etc. a general principle to which all applicable cases must conform the laws of exponents
13. Sports, Brit. an allowance in distance or time as in a race; handicap

Etymology: ME lawe < OE lagu < Anglo-Norm *lagu, akin to ON lǫg, pl. of lag, something laid down or settled < IE base *legh-, to lie down > lie

intransitive verb, transitive verb