der Nationalrat, ¨-e
National Council
Dies ist eine große Gruppe gewählter Personen in Österreich, die Gesetze besprecht und entscheidet, welche Regeln im Land gelten sollen.
Meaning (in English)
Nationalrat refers to a national council, i.e., a parliamentary chamber at the national level. In German-speaking countries, the exact role depends on the country:
- Austria: the lower house of Parliament (main legislative chamber elected by the people).
- Switzerland: the National Council, the lower house of the Federal Assembly, representing the population (paired with the Ständerat, which represents the cantons).
More generally, it can be used for a national legislative assembly in a state.
Word parts
- Nation = nation
- Rat = council (also “advice,” but here clearly “council” in the political sense)
So Nationalrat literally means “national council.”
German synonyms (depending on context)
- Parlament (general: parliament)
- Volksvertretung (representation of the people)
- Abgeordnetenhaus (especially in the sense of a lower house; not always an exact match)
- (National-)Kammer (chamber; more institutional wording)
German antonyms
A direct antonym is uncommon, but depending on what contrast is intended:
- Regionalrat / Provinzialrat / Kantonsrat (regional/cantonal council; contrasting national vs. regional level)
- Gemeinderat / Stadtrat (municipal/city council; local vs. national level)
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Examples
Der Nationalrat tritt heute zusammen.noun
The National Council meets today.
Im Nationalrat werden wichtige Entscheidungen getroffen.noun
In the National Council, important decisions are made.
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