- legislator
- 1605, from L. legis lator "proposer of a law," from legis, gen. of lex "law" + lator "proposer," agent noun of latus "borne, brought, carried" (see oblate), used as past tense of ferre "to carry" (see infer). Legislative is from 1651; legislation is from 1655; legislature is 1676. Legislate is a back-formation first recorded 1805.