A rule or regulation made by a company, organization, or local government to manage its own affairs, lower in authority than main laws.
From Middle English 'bi lawe,' where 'bi' (by) combined with 'lawe' (law), meaning laws made 'by' a group for themselves. Originally used in Scottish English for local regulations, it became standard in British legal terminology.
Byelaws are how organizations make themselves semi-democratic—your school's dress code and your city's noise ordinances are actually byelaws, meaning they're rules that apply locally and can change without changing national laws, giving communities real power.
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