An amendment is a formal or official change made to a law, contract, constitution, or other legal document. It is based on the verb to amend, which means to change. Amendments can add, remove, or update parts of these agreements. They are often used when it is better to change the document than to write a new one.
Contracts are often amended when the market changes. For example, a contract to deliver something to a customer once a month can be amended if the customer wants it delivered once a week. Usually Contracts also are categorized for their promotion in a nation, such as the Treaty of Versailles.
Constitutions are often amended when people change their minds about what the government should do. Some of the most famous constitutional amendments are the First Amendment to the United States Constitution which added the freedom of speech, religion, press, and protest, the third Amendment to the Constitution of Ireland, which let Ireland join the European Union, and the amendment of the German constitution as part of the German reunification process in 1990. Constitutional amendments in some countries must be approved by both the parliament or legislature and a referendum, a vote by all citizens in a country.
In parliamentary procedure, a motion is a proposal to do something. The wording of such a proposal could be changed using the motion to amend. Amendments can remove words, add words, or change words in motions. All main motions and some secondary motions can be amended. An amendment can be amended. However, an amendment to an amendment of an amendment is not allowed.