A legislator is an individual who proposes, draws up and enacts laws. He is a member of a legislative body, either elected or appointed. American congressmen and members of the British and Indian parliaments are examples of legislators. The word comes directly from the Latin: legis lator, which literally means proposer of the law.
A legislature is a deliberative group, usually a government group, either elected or appointed, made up of individuals who have the responsibility of writing, passing and appealing laws. City councils, county boards, parliaments and senates are all examples of legislatures. The word comes from legislator + -ure, which is an Old French suffix meaning an official entity or function.
Examples
A state-owned corporation was playing defense Monday after a Wasilla legislator criticized it for sponsoring a golf tournament that saw employees on the links during business hours last week, as Alaska confronts a multibillion-dollar annual budget deficit. (Alaska Dispatch News)
The last day of the budget session in the Delhi assembly witnessed uproar on Tuesday when a BJP legislator broke the mike alleging that it had been turned off. (India Today)
It comes nearly two weeks after Hong Kong’s legislature vetoed a Beijing-backed electoral reform proposal that had triggered sometimes violent protests in the city, presenting Beijing with one of its most serious challenges in years. (Reuters)
The Washington Legislature approved a new two-year state budget on Monday that would cut tuition at all of the state’s four year colleges and universities by 15 to 20 percent over the next two years, while increasing state dollars going to higher education. (The Columbian)