Definition

The internal rules an organization creates to govern itself, like a corporation's personal constitution that nobody reads until there's a fight. These self-imposed regulations cover everything from meeting procedures to officer duties. Basically, the fine print that tells everyone how the sausage gets made.

Example Usage

According to the company's bylaws, any board decision requires a quorum of at least seven members and a simple majority vote.

Source: Common legal and corporate terminology

Related Terms

Beginner

Rubber stamp

To approve something without actual review or scrutiny, just going through the motions like a bored bureaucrat at the DMV. The illusion of governance without the inconvenience of actually governing.

💼 Corporate / Business
Intermediate

underpinning

The foundational support structure, literally in construction or figuratively in arguments and business strategy. In corporate speak, it's the pretentious way to say "basis" when you want to sound more important. Every consultant's favorite word for describing whatever holds up their overpriced recommendations.

💼 Corporate / Business
Intermediate

estimator

In business, the person whose job is to predict how much something will cost, usually by combining experience, educated guessing, and prayer. In statistics, it's a mathematical function used to approximate population parameters from sample data, which sounds fancy but is basically sophisticated guessing with formulas. Either way, they're professionally calculating things that are inherently uncertain.

💼 Corporate / Business
Intermediate

proliferation

The corporate buzzword for 'there's suddenly way too many of these things,' whether it's nuclear weapons, cell division, or project management tools in your company's tech stack. In biology, it's normal growth; in business, it often signals chaos. When someone warns about proliferation in a meeting, they're politely saying 'this is getting out of control.'

💼 Corporate / Business
Beginner

In Transition

Corporate-speak for 'unemployed but trying to sound sophisticated about it.' It's the professional euphemism that turns 'I got laid off' into something that sounds almost intentional and growth-oriented. The LinkedIn equivalent of 'it's not you, it's me' but for your career status.

💼 Corporate / Business
Intermediate

Table stakes

The minimum requirements needed to compete in a market, borrowed from poker. What you need just to get in the game, not to win it—though many companies mistake this for a complete strategy.

💼 Corporate / Business

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See “bylaw” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.

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Intermediate

days sales outstanding

The average number of days it takes to collect payment after a sale, abbreviated as DSO. It measures how long customers ...