upper house

[ˈʌpər haʊs]
nounpl: upper houses
câmara alta
1. The higher chamber of a bicameral legislature, typically composed of fewer members and often representing states, provinces, or regions
The Senate is the upper house of the United States Congress.
O Senado é a câmara alta do Congresso dos Estados Unidos.
2. In a parliamentary system, the chamber with traditionally greater prestige but sometimes reduced legislative power compared to the lower house
The upper house approved the bill after the lower house rejected it.
A câmara alta aprovou o projeto de lei depois que a câmara baixa o rejeitou.
The concept of an upper house reflects democratic structures in bicameral legislatures. In Brazil, the Senado Federal (Federal Senate) serves as the upper house, with 81 senators representing the 27 federal units. In the US, the Senate is the upper house, historically designed to represent states equally with two senators each. The upper house typically requires legislative approval for major bills and often has specialized responsibilities like treaty ratification or constitutional amendments.
Synonyms / Sinônimos
senatesecond chamberupper chamberhouse of lords
Antonyms / Antônimos
lower househouse of commonslower chamber

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
câmara alta
Standard term used throughout Brazil for the upper legislative chamber
Portugal
câmara alta
Used in Portuguese political discourse, though Portugal has a unicameral parliament
United States
Senate
In the US context, specifically refers to the Senate as the upper house of Congress
United Kingdom
House of Lords
The upper house of the British Parliament

Related Words

bicamerallegislatureparliamentcongresssenatorlegislation

Related Idioms & Phrases

pass the upper house
introduced in the upper house
upper house approval
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