Senate

...Their official names vary from country to country. For example, in the United States it is called the Senate, in the United Kingdom it is called the House of Lords, in Germany it is called the Bundesrat, in the former Soviet Union it is called the Sovet Natsional'nostei (Federal Assembly in the Russian Federation after the collapse of the Soviet Union), and in Japan it was called the House of Lords under the Meiji Constitution and is now called the House of Councillors. Their structures and functions are also diverse, but broadly speaking they can be divided into (1) those that represent privileged classes such as hereditary aristocracy and the propertied classes and protect the interests of conservative forces (Britain, Japan under the Meiji Constitution), (2) those that represent the states and speak for the interests of the states in federal states (such as the United States, Germany, and the former Soviet Union), and (3) those that are expected to play the role of professional representatives or a house of common sense (such as Ireland and the former Yugoslavia). ...

*Some of the terminology explanations that mention "Senate" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…その正式な名称は，国によって異なる。たとえば，アメリカ合衆国では元老院Senate，イギリスでは貴族院House of Lords，ドイツでは連邦参議院Bundesrat，旧ソ連では民族ソビエト(民族会議)Sovet Natsional’nostei(ソ連崩壊後のロシア連邦では連邦会議)，日本では明治憲法下にあっては貴族院，現在は参議院である。その構成や機能も多様であるが，大別すれば，(1)世襲貴族や資産階級などの特権的階層を代表し，保守勢力の利益を擁護するもの(イギリス，明治憲法下の日本)，(2)連邦国家において，州を代表し州の利益を代弁するもの(アメリカ合衆国，ドイツ，旧ソ連など)，(3)職能代表あるいは良識の府としての役割を期待されているもの(アイルランド，旧ユーゴスラビアなど)などに分けられる。…

※「Senate」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報