what does bicameral mean

Bicameral means having, consisting of, or based on two legislative chambers or houses. A bicameral system describes a government that has a two-house legislative system, such as the House of Representatives and the Senate that make up the U.S. Congress. The word bicameral is derived from the Latin: "bi" (meaning two) and "camera" (meaning chamber) . Bicameralism is distinguished from unicameralism, in which all members deliberate and vote as a single group. Roughly 40% of the worlds national legislatures are bicameral, while unicameralism represents 60% nationally and much more at the subnational level. The British Parliament, a bicameral system, has been the model for most parliamentary systems around the world. The legislative branch of the U.S. federal government uses a bicameral system, in addition to all of the U.S. states, with the exception of Nebraska.