tribunal

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)
tribunal
    n 1: an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct
         judicial business [syn: {court}, {tribunal}, {judicature}]
    
from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Tribunal \Tri`bu*nal"\, n. [Sp.]
   In villages of the Philippine Islands, a kind of townhall. At
   the tribunal the head men of the village met to transact
   business, prisoners were confined, and troops and travelers
   were often quartered.
   [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
    
from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Tribunal \Tri*bu"nal\, n. [L. tribunal, fr. tribunus a tribune
   who administered justice: cf. F. tribunal. See {Tribune}.]
   1. The seat of a judge; the bench on which a judge and his
      associates sit for administering justice.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. Hence, a court or forum; as, the House of Lords, in
      England, is the highest tribunal in the kingdom.
      [1913 Webster]
    
from Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856)
TRIBUNAL. The seat of a judge; the place where he administers justice; but 
by this term is more usually understood the whole body of judges who compose 
a jurisdiction sometimes it is taken for the jurisdiction which they 
exercise. 
     2. This term is Latin, and derives its origin from the elevated seat 
where the tribunes administered justice. 
    
from Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
67 Moby Thesaurus words for "tribunal":
      British Cabinet, Sanhedrin, US Cabinet, advisory body, assembly,
      association, balcony, bar, bench, board, body of advisers,
      borough council, brain trust, cabinet, camarilla, catafalque,
      chamber, city council, common council, conference, congress,
      consultative assembly, council, council fire, council of ministers,
      council of state, council of war, county council, court,
      court of justice, curial, dais, deliberative assembly, diet,
      directory, divan, emplacement, estrade, floor, gallery, heliport,
      hustings, judicial, judiciary, junta, kitchen cabinet, landing,
      landing pad, landing stage, launching pad, legislature,
      parish council, platform, podium, privy council, pulpit, rostrum,
      soapbox, soviet, staff, stage, step terrace, stump, syndicate,
      synod, terrace, tribune

    

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