Senate

A senate is a deliberative assembly in the upper house, chamber of a legislature or parliamentary structure. The concepts of a senate was first developed and implemented in the Spartan Empire in 450 BC and in the Roman Republic in 630AD. These senates were originally created to serve as an assembly of the eldest and wiser members of the society and ruling class. Since that time, there have been many forms of senates in history, with varying infrastructures and elector processes, but all senator forms are essentially the same concept.www.pbs.org/empires/romans/empire/senators.html

There are now 51 countries internationally with senates, on all 7 continents of the world, that have senators which are either elected, appointed, have inherited the title, or gained membership by other methods. However, it is a specifically modern concept of senates for them to serve as an assembly which acts as the second chain up in command for legislation passed by a lower assembly. This is a different from what the term originally meant, as when it was originally created, senates functioned as an omnipotent body of individuals, appointed for their wisdom to make decisions for all people.www.wsu.edu/~dee/ROME/REPUBLIC.HTM

There are several variations of senates and senators throughout the world, as it is not necessarily the case that they are a second chain of command in a legislature.wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn In some cases, senates can refer to the ruling body of a university.new.hartford.edu/faculty_senate/SenateDefinition.aspx Notable examples of these differing senate structures include the Senate of Finland, which until 1919, served as the executive branch and the supreme court. Additionally, in the country of Wales, the Senedd refers to the National Assembly for Wales debating chamber, which means this is closer to the original definition of the term senate. There are also variations of senates in Germany, where the Senats are the executive branch of the government, with senators acting as ministerial portfolio holders. Governments in some German cities are also called senates. http://www.senate.gov/reference/glossary_term/voice_vote.htm

Other examples of these varying senate structures include St. Kitts and Nevis, Comoros and Micronesia. In these federal countries, senators represent territories, while legislators represent the people at large. However, in non-federal countries, senators and legislators have essentially the same role, except that senators as a term is of higher distinction; typically connoting higher rank or method of selection.