Bicameral

adjective

/baɪˈkæm.ər.əl/

Describing a legislature that consists of two separate chambers or houses; at the state level in India, a bicameral legislature comprises the Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly) and the Vidhan Parishad (Legislative Council).

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

India's bicameral Parliament, comprising the directly elected Lok Sabha and the indirectly constituted Rajya Sabha, institutionalises a deliberative check on hasty legislation while ensuring that the federal voice of the States is not drowned out by transient popular majorities.

Synonyms

two-chamberedtwo-housedual-chamberbipartitetwo-tiered

Antonyms

unicameralsingle-chamberone-house

🌱 Word Family

bicameralism (n), bicameral (adj), bicamerally (adv), unicameral (adj), multicameral (adj)

🔡 Root

Latin bi- (two) + camera (chamber, vaulted room) + -al; first recorded in English 1830s.

📜 Etymology

From Latin bi- ("two") + camera ("chamber, vaulted room") + the suffix -al; first recorded in English in the 1830s to describe two-chamber legislative bodies.

🧠 Memory Hook

"Bi" (two) + "camera" (chamber) - picture two cameras filming two separate houses of Parliament; a bicameral legislature has two chambers.

⚖️ Polity & Constitution 📖 Seen in: State Government — Governor, CM, State...

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