code of law
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code of law
A systematic and comprehensive collection of laws and legal regulations that apply to a specific area of law or to a state.
Im Bürgerlichen Gesetzbuch (BGB) sind die wichtigsten Regeln des deutschen Privatrechts zusammengefasst.
The most important rules of German private law are summarized in the Civil Code (BGB).
The word is a clear compound made up of 'das Gesetz' (the law) and 'das Buch' (the book). So it is literally a book that contains laws. The '-es-' in the middle is a typical linking element.
Ein Gesetzbuch ist eine Sammlung aller wichtigen Gesetze eines Landes.
A code of law is a collection of all the important laws of a country.
In legal and everyday usage, abbreviations are often used for the most important codes of law. These include 'BGB' (Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch, Civil Code), 'StGB' (Strafgesetzbuch, Criminal Code), and 'HGB' (Handelsgesetzbuch, Commercial Code).
Das Strafgesetzbuch wird oft mit StGB abgekürzt.
The Criminal Code is often abbreviated as StGB.
To express that a rule is in a code of law or that you look something up in it, you use the preposition 'in' with the dative ('im Gesetzbuch', in the code of law). Movement or inclusion is expressed with 'in' and the accusative ('ins Gesetzbuch', into the code of law).
Der Richter schlug die genaue Regelung im Gesetzbuch nach.
The judge looked up the exact regulation in the code of law.
law
'das Gesetz' and 'das Gesetzbuch' are closely connected, but they do not mean the same thing. A 'Gesetz' is an individual legal rule or an individual legal text. A 'Gesetzbuch' is an organized collection of many laws and regulations in one area. Learners may confuse the words because laws are found in a code of law. If you are talking about a specific rule, use 'Gesetz'. If you are talking about the book or the collection of rules, use 'Gesetzbuch'.
Im Büro hat die Chefin heute im Gesetzbuch nach einer Regel gesucht.
At the office today, the boss looked up a rule in the code of law.
Die Fahrerin hat gegen ein wichtiges Gesetz im Straßenverkehr verstoßen.
The driver violated an important traffic law.