stat·ute /'sta-chüt/ n [Latin statutum law, regulation, from neuter of statutus, past participle of statuere to set up, station, from status position, state]
2: an act of a corporation or its founder intended as a permanent rule
3: an international instrument setting up an agency and regulating its scope or authority
the statute of the International Court of Justice
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster. 1996.