Standard Lemma guide

bicameralism

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The practice of dividing legislative bodies into two chambers with complementary powers and limitations designed to provide checks and balances against one another.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

Topics: government

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Ambiguous misnomer for Julian Jaynes's theory of bicamerality, probably never used by Jaynes, rarely used in academic literature based on his work, but often found informally (compare bicameral mind and bicameral mentality)

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

Topics: human-sciences, psychology, sciences

Examples

  • 1978, Edward Proffitt, "Romanticism, Bicamerality, and the Evolution of the Brain", The Wordsworth Circle, Vol. 9, No.1, reprinted with permission in Kuijsten, 2016, page 134. Coleridge...could not revert to bicameralism either.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dwóh1 Proto-Indo-European *dwi- Proto-Italic *dwi- Latin bi-bor. English bi- Proto-Indo-European *kh2em-der. Proto-Indo-Iranian *kmárati Proto-Iranian *kamarāder. Ancient Greek καμάρᾱ (kamárā)bor. Latin camera English -al English bicameral Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō) Proto-Indo-European *-mos Proto-Indo-European *-mós Ancient Greek -μός (-mós) Ancient Greek -ισμός (-ismós)der. English -ism English bicameralism From bicameral + -ism.

Across languages

Translations

20 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 兩院制 /两院制 (liǎngyuànzhì) — principle of dividing legislative body into two groups
  • Finnish: kaksikamarijärjestelmä — principle of dividing legislative body into two groups
  • French: bicaméralisme — principle of dividing legislative body into two groups
  • Georgian: ორპალატიანობა (orṗalaṭianoba) — principle of dividing legislative body into two groups
  • Georgian: ბიკამერალიზმი (biḳameralizmi) — principle of dividing legislative body into two groups
  • German: Bikameralismus — principle of dividing legislative body into two groups
  • Indonesian: bikameralisme — principle of dividing legislative body into two groups
  • Italian: bicameralismo — principle of dividing legislative body into two groups
  • Japanese: 二院制 (niinsei) — principle of dividing legislative body into two groups
  • Japanese: 両院制 (ryōinsei) — principle of dividing legislative body into two groups
  • Korean: 양원제 (yang'wonje) — principle of dividing legislative body into two groups
  • Polish: bikameralizm — principle of dividing legislative body into two groups
  • Polish: dwuizbowość — principle of dividing legislative body into two groups
  • Portuguese: bicamaralismo — principle of dividing legislative body into two groups
  • Portuguese: bicameralismo — principle of dividing legislative body into two groups
  • Romanian: bicamerism — principle of dividing legislative body into two groups
  • Russian: двухпала́тная систе́ма (dvuxpalátnaja sistéma) — principle of dividing legislative body into two groups
  • Russian: двухпала́тность (dvuxpalátnostʹ) — principle of dividing legislative body into two groups
  • Russian: бикамерали́зм (bikameralízm) — principle of dividing legislative body into two groups
  • Russian: бикамери́зм (bikamerízm) — principle of dividing legislative body into two groups