Updated on March 6, 2024
The Senate, a term evoking images of powerful legislative bodies and important political decisions, is a word that carries significant weight in many cultures and languages. Originating from the Latin word 'senatus', meaning 'council of elders', the Senate has played a vital role in the political landscape of many societies, from the ancient Roman Republic to the modern United States Congress.
Beyond its political significance, the Senate also holds great cultural importance. In many countries, the Senate serves as a symbol of democratic governance and representation, embodying the voice of the people and the ideals of justice, equality, and freedom. As such, understanding the translation of 'Senate' in different languages can offer valuable insights into the cultural nuances and political structures of various societies around the world.
For example, in Spanish, the Senate is known as 'el Senado', while in French, it is called 'le Sénat'. In German, the Senate is referred to as 'der Senat', and in Mandarin Chinese, it is translated as '参议会' (cān yì huì).
So whether you're a student of language and culture, a political science enthusiast, or simply someone with a passion for learning, exploring the many translations of 'Senate' in different languages can be a fascinating and rewarding journey.
Afrikaans | senaat | ||
The word "Senaat" in Afrikaans is derived from the Latin word "senatus", which originally meant "council of elders" or "assembly of old men". | |||
Amharic | ሴኔት | ||
The word "ሴኔት" also means "age-set" in Amharic. | |||
Hausa | majalisar dattawa | ||
'Majalisar Dattawa' literally translates to 'Meeting of Elders' referring to the advisory role of the Senate in Hausa society. | |||
Igbo | sineti | ||
"Sineti" is derived from the English word "Senate" | |||
Malagasy | antenimieran-doholona | ||
The word "Antenimieran-doholona" is derived from the Malagasy words "antenimieran" (meaning "the one who is in front") and "doholona" (meaning "pillar"), suggesting the Senate's role as a pillar of national leadership. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | nyumba yamalamulo | ||
Nyumba Yamalamulo translates directly to "House of Laws", showcasing its primary function as a legislative body. | |||
Shona | seneti | ||
"Seneti" (Senate) in Shona derives from "senate" in Latin, meaning "council of elders." | |||
Somali | guurtida | ||
The Somali word 'Guurtida' is derived from the plural form of 'Guurti', which means elder or respected member of the community. | |||
Sesotho | senate | ||
The word "Senate" can also refer to a group of advisors or elders in some traditional African societies, similar to the Roman Senate. | |||
Swahili | seneti | ||
The word "Seneti" in Swahili can also refer to a traditional council of elders in some African communities. | |||
Xhosa | indlu yeengwevu | ||
The Xhosa term "Indlu yeeNgwevu" translates literally to "House of the Grey-Bearded Ones". | |||
Yoruba | alagba | ||
In Yoruba, "Alagba" literally means "those who gather to make laws" or "elders who deliberate on issues". | |||
Zulu | isigele | ||
"Isigele" shares a root with the word "isigaba", meaning "section" or "portion". This suggests that the Senate is seen as a portion or section of the larger government body of South Africa. | |||
Bambara | senat (senat) ye | ||
Ewe | sewɔtakpekpea | ||
Kinyarwanda | sena | ||
Lingala | sénat ya bato | ||
Luganda | senate ya senate | ||
Sepedi | senate sa senate | ||
Twi (Akan) | mmarahyɛ bagua no | ||
Arabic | مجلس الشيوخ | ||
The word 'مجلس الشيوخ' (Senate) derives from the Arabic word 'شيخ' (elder), referring to the assembly of elders who provided advice and guidance in ancient Arab societies. | |||
Hebrew | סֵנָט | ||
סֵנָט can also refer to a city council or a parliament | |||
Pashto | سینټ | ||
The name of the Pashto-language newspaper "سينټ" derives from "senate", the ancient Roman administrative and governing body. | |||
Arabic | مجلس الشيوخ | ||
The word 'مجلس الشيوخ' (Senate) derives from the Arabic word 'شيخ' (elder), referring to the assembly of elders who provided advice and guidance in ancient Arab societies. |
Albanian | senati | ||
The Albanian word "Senati" for "Senate" is derived from the Latin word "Senatus" and shares cognates with many other languages, including Romanian, French, and Spanish. | |||
Basque | senatua | ||
In Basque, the word "Senatua", meaning "Senate", derives from the Latin "senatus", referring to the Roman Senate. | |||
Catalan | senat | ||
"Senat" derives from the Latin word "senatus," which also refers to a governing body in ancient Rome. | |||
Croatian | senat | ||
Senat comes from the Latin word "senatus", which means "council of elders or rulers". | |||
Danish | senat | ||
The Danish word "Senat" can also refer to a student council or similar governing body within a school or university. | |||
Dutch | senaat | ||
The word "Senaat" derives from the Latin word "senatus," meaning "council of elders". | |||
English | senate | ||
The English word "Senate" originates from the Latin word "senatus", which means "council of elders" or "assembly of elders". | |||
French | sénat | ||
The French word "Sénat" comes from the Latin word "senatus", which means "council of elders". | |||
Frisian | senaat | ||
'Senaat' is rooted in a Latin word originally meaning 'council of elders,' likely borrowed from French into Frisian. | |||
Galician | senado | ||
German | senat | ||
"Senat" in German can also refer to a high court of law or an academic governing body. | |||
Icelandic | öldungadeild | ||
The word "Öldungadeild" literally means "the Council of the Aged" in Icelandic. | |||
Irish | seanad | ||
In Irish, 'Seanad' also means a company of old men. | |||
Italian | senato | ||
The Italian word "Senato" derives from the Latin "senatus" and ultimately from the verb "senere" (to grow old), referring to the body of older, experienced citizens who advised the Roman state. | |||
Luxembourgish | senat | ||
The word "Senat" in Luxembourgish derives from the Latin "senatus", meaning "council of elders". | |||
Maltese | senat | ||
"Senat" is derived from the Latin word "Senatus", which means "council of elders". | |||
Norwegian | senatet | ||
Senatet is derived from the Latin word 'senatus', which means 'assembly of elders'. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | senado | ||
The word "Senado" in Portuguese is derived from the Latin "senatus", meaning "council of elders". | |||
Scots Gaelic | seanadh | ||
The word "Seanadh" in Scots Gaelic means both "Senate" and "Council of Elders" | |||
Spanish | senado | ||
The word "Senado" is derived from the Latin "senatus", meaning "council of elders" or "assembly of old men". | |||
Swedish | senat | ||
Swedish word "Senat" is also a term for a faculty board at a university and is derived from the Latin word "senatus" | |||
Welsh | senedd | ||
The Welsh word "Senedd" originally meant "assembly" or "council" and was used for both royal and ecclesiastical bodies. |
Belarusian | сенат | ||
Слово «Сенат» в белорусском языке является заимствованием из латыни, где senātus означает «совет старейшин». | |||
Bosnian | senat | ||
The word 'Senat' has roots in the ancient Roman term 'senatus', meaning 'council of elders'. | |||
Bulgarian | сенат | ||
The Bulgarian word "Сенат" also means "Council", "Court" or "Assembly". | |||
Czech | senát | ||
Senát means 'council of elders' in Latin, and comes from the Latin word for an old man, senator. | |||
Estonian | senat | ||
"Senat" is also used to refer to the Senate of Imperial Russia, which governed Estonia from 1710 to 1917. | |||
Finnish | senaatti | ||
Senaatti also means 'the court of appeal' in Finnish. | |||
Hungarian | szenátus | ||
"Szenátus" derives from the Latin "senātus", meaning "council of elders" or "body of elders". | |||
Latvian | senāts | ||
Latvian Senāts comes from French sénat, which comes from Roman senatus which comes from Latin senex meaning “old”. | |||
Lithuanian | senatas | ||
The word "Senatas" in Lithuanian is derived from the Latin word "senatus", meaning "council of elders". | |||
Macedonian | сенатот | ||
The word 'Сенатот' (Senate) in Macedonian also refers to the upper house of the Macedonian parliament, known as the 'Consilium Civile' (Council of Elders). | |||
Polish | senat | ||
In Polish, "Senat" derives from the Latin "senatus," meaning "assembly of elders" or "council of advisors." | |||
Romanian | senat | ||
In Romanian, the word "Senat" is also used to refer to the upper house of the Parliament of Romania and to the governing body of a university. | |||
Russian | сенат | ||
The Russian word "Сенат" (Senate) originates from the Latin word "senatus," meaning "council of elders" or "assembly of advisers." | |||
Serbian | сенат | ||
The Serbian word "Сенат" is derived from the Latin word "senatus", which means "council of elders" or "assembly of old men". | |||
Slovak | senát | ||
Slovak "Senát" is related to the Latin word "senex", meaning "old man". | |||
Slovenian | senat | ||
The Slovenian word "senat" comes from the Latin word "senatus", which means "council of elders". | |||
Ukrainian | сенат | ||
The Ukrainian word "Сенат" ("Senate") derives from the Latin word "senatus," meaning "assembly or council of elders". |
Bengali | সেনেট | ||
এটি শব্দটির রোমান মূল 'Senex' থেকে এসেছে, যার অর্থ বৃদ্ধ বা প্রবীণ ব্যক্তি। | |||
Gujarati | સેનેટ | ||
સેનેટ (Senate): Originally derived from the Latin word "senex" meaning "old man" or "elder". | |||
Hindi | प्रबंधकारिणी समिति | ||
The word "प्रबंधकारिणी समिति" derives from Sanskrit and literally means "a group of managers". | |||
Kannada | ಸೆನೆಟ್ | ||
Malayalam | സെനറ്റ് | ||
The word 'സെനറ്റ്' ('Senate') in Malayalam originates from the Latin word 'senatus', meaning 'council of elders'. | |||
Marathi | सिनेट | ||
The Marathi word "सिनेट" (Senate) is derived from the Latin word "senatus," meaning "assembly of elders." | |||
Nepali | सेनेट | ||
The word "सेनेट" (Senate) in Nepali originates from the Latin word "senex", meaning "old man" or "elder", referring to the body of elders who advised the Roman emperor. | |||
Punjabi | ਸੈਨੇਟ | ||
The word "ਸੈਨੇਟ" ("Senate") is derived from the Middle English word "senat", which in turn comes from the Latin word "senatus", meaning "council of elders". | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සෙනෙට් සභාව | ||
The Sinhala word සෙනෙට් සභාව, meaning "Senate," is derived from the Latin word "senatus," which originally referred to a council of elders in ancient Rome. | |||
Tamil | செனட் | ||
In Tamil, "செனட்" (Senate) can also mean "assembly" or "council". | |||
Telugu | సెనేట్ | ||
The word 'సెనేట్' (Senate) is derived from the Latin word 'senatus', which means 'council of elders' or 'assembly of statesmen'. | |||
Urdu | سینیٹ | ||
In Urdu, "سینیٹ" (Senate) is also used to refer to the upper house of a parliament or a legislative assembly. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 参议院 | ||
参议院一词源自拉丁语'senatus',原意为'元老院'。 | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 參議院 | ||
參議院 (traditional Chinese) derives from the Sanskrit "saṃgha" but was influenced by the Japanese "sangiin" when reintroduced to Chinese. | |||
Japanese | 上院 | ||
In Japanese, the word 上院 (literally "upper house") refers to the House of Councillors, the upper house of the Japanese National Diet. | |||
Korean | 상원 | ||
"상원(Senate)" originated from the old Chinese word "상원(常員)" which means "permanent body" | |||
Mongolian | сенат | ||
The word "Senate" in Mongolian derives from the Persian "senāt" and ultimately from the Latin "senatus." | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | ဆီးနိတ် | ||
The Burmese word "ဆီးနိတ်" (See Nei) is borrowed from the English word "Senate" and has the same meaning, referring to a legislative body or assembly in a government system. |
Indonesian | senat | ||
The word "Senat" in Indonesian has multiple meanings, including "upper house of parliament" and "senate". | |||
Javanese | senat | ||
In Javanese, "Senat" refers to an advisory council that serves as a forum for discussing and resolving communal issues. | |||
Khmer | ព្រឹទ្ធសភា | ||
The Cambodian word for “Senate” is 'ព្រឹទ្ធសភា'. It is an ancient term, likely derived from the Sanskrit word for “assembly,” 'sabha'. | |||
Lao | ວຽງຈັນຝົນ | ||
Malay | dewan negara | ||
The term 'Dewan Negara' is also used to refer to a legislative assembly or a lower house of parliament in some countries, particularly in South and Southeast Asia. | |||
Thai | วุฒิสภา | ||
The Thai word “วุฒิสภา” literally means “senior assembly” and also refers to an advisory body to the king in pre-constitutional Thailand. | |||
Vietnamese | thượng nghị viện | ||
The word "Thượng nghị viện" is derived from the Chinese word "上议院" (shàng yì yuàn), meaning "upper house of parliament". It can also refer to the upper house of a bicameral legislature in other countries. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | senado | ||
Azerbaijani | senat | ||
The word "Senat" is derived from the Latin word "senatus", meaning "council of elders" or "assembly of wise men". | |||
Kazakh | сенат | ||
The Kazakh word "Сенат" is directly borrowed from Russian "Сенат" (Senate) which in turn comes from Latin "senatus" (council of elders). | |||
Kyrgyz | сенат | ||
The Kyrgyz word "Сенат" comes from the Russian "Сенат", which in turn derives ultimately from the Latin word for 'old men', senex. | |||
Tajik | сенат | ||
Сенат (от латинского senatus, совет старейшин) — высший законодательный и распорядительный орган в некоторых странах. | |||
Turkmen | senat | ||
Uzbek | senat | ||
The word „Senat“ in Uzbek also means "government agency". | |||
Uyghur | كېڭەش پالاتاسى | ||
Hawaiian | senate | ||
The Hawaiian word "Senate" is also used to refer to the upper house of a legislature, similar to its meaning in English. | |||
Maori | senate | ||
The Maori word for "Senate" is "Paremata", which can also mean "assembly" or "parliament". | |||
Samoan | senate | ||
In Samoan, "Senate" is also referred to as "Maota o Le Fono" or "House of Parliament". | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | senado | ||
Aymara | senado uksanxa | ||
Guarani | senado-pe | ||
Esperanto | senato | ||
Latin | senatus | ||
While "senatus" means "Senate," it also comes from "senex," meaning "old," as the original Senate was a council of elders. |
Greek | γερουσία | ||
In ancient Greece, "Γερουσία" originally referred to a council of elders, while today it primarily means "Senate". | |||
Hmong | senate | ||
In Hmong, the word "Senate" can also refer to a gathering or meeting of elders. | |||
Kurdish | senato | ||
The word "Senato" in Kurdish is derived from the Latin word "senātus", meaning "council of elders" or "assembly of the wise". | |||
Turkish | senato | ||
In Turkish, "Senato" can also refer to the "upper chamber of a parliament" or a "senatorial group within a parliament." | |||
Xhosa | indlu yeengwevu | ||
The Xhosa term "Indlu yeeNgwevu" translates literally to "House of the Grey-Bearded Ones". | |||
Yiddish | סענאַט | ||
In Yiddish, the word "סענאַט" ("Senate") can also refer to a Jewish communal council or governing body. | |||
Zulu | isigele | ||
"Isigele" shares a root with the word "isigaba", meaning "section" or "portion". This suggests that the Senate is seen as a portion or section of the larger government body of South Africa. | |||
Assamese | চেনেট | ||
Aymara | senado uksanxa | ||
Bhojpuri | सीनेट में भइल | ||
Dhivehi | ސެނެޓުންނެވެ | ||
Dogri | सीनेट ने दी | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | senado | ||
Guarani | senado-pe | ||
Ilocano | senado | ||
Krio | sɛnat fɔ di wok | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | ئەنجومەنی پیران | ||
Maithili | सीनेट | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯁꯦꯅꯦꯠ ꯑꯁꯤꯅꯥ ꯑꯦꯟ.ꯗꯤ.ꯑꯦ | ||
Mizo | senate-ah a awm | ||
Oromo | seenetii | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ସିନେଟ୍ | | ||
Quechua | senado nisqapi | ||
Sanskrit | सिनेट | ||
Tatar | сенат | ||
Tigrinya | ሰኔት። | ||
Tsonga | senate | ||