A statue is a sculpture that represents a human or animal.
And a statute …
We often confuse the words status, statute and statue. Do you know the origins and meanings of these words? The word status comes from the Latin word status or stetu (=position, condition or state) and its origin dates back to 1600s. The word statute comes from the Latin word statutum (=a decree, a law) and its origin dates back to 1300s. The word statue comes from the Latin word statua (=image or monumental figure) and its origin dates back to 1300s. The affix sta-, which is a common root for the above words, means to stand strong, to be firm or to make steady.
Here are some examples for you: 1. Some governments did not even consider granting these poor people refugee status. 2. What is her marital status? 3. The coalition party in power banned capital punishment by statute in 2002. 4. The new statute has covered the protection of disabled people and autistic children more strictly than ever. 5. This statue is made of gold. 6. We erected a statue to perpetuate the memory of our eternal leader.