parliament
(usually initial capital letter) the legislature of Great Britain, historically the assembly of the three estates, now composed of Lords Spiritual and Lords Temporal, forming together the House of Lords, and representatives of the counties, cities, boroughs, and universities, forming the House of Commons.
(usually initial capital letter) the legislature of certain British colonies and possessions.
a legislative body in any of various other countries.
French History. any of several high courts of justice in France before 1789.
a meeting or assembly for conference on public or national affairs.
Cards. fan-tan (def. 1).
Origin of parliament
1- Also Obsolete, par·le·ment [pahr-luh-muhnt] /ˈpɑr lə mənt/ .
Other words from parliament
- an·ti·par·lia·ment, adjective
- in·ter·par·lia·ment, adjective
- sub·par·lia·ment, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use parliament in a sentence
The U.S. Capitol Building, corporate boardrooms and international parliaments, however, might not be in that initial lineup.
From Public Enemy to Power Broker: Hip-Hop’s the New Global Pop Culture | Lauren DeLisa Coleman | September 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTMarcus will distribute copies of Deception to the U.S. Congress and European parliaments which provide funding to the PLO.
Palestinian Authority: Pursuing Peace, or Pushing Propaganda? | Harold Evans | December 11, 2011 | THE DAILY BEASTAs he puts it: “The British do not want a federal Europe in which significant powers pass from sovereign parliaments to Brussels.”
In a recent study that measured percentage of women in national parliaments, the U.S. ranked an embarrassing 71st in the world.
Several laws for the resumption of Crown lands were passed by the Parliaments of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.
The History of England from the Accession of James II. | Thomas Babington Macaulay
He maintained the connexion of church and state, and opposed triennial parliaments and the ballot.
On the 15th of May Mr. Tennyson submitted a motion for leave to introduce a bill to shorten the duration of parliaments.
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.III. | E. Farr and E. H. NolanThat king was false to every principle of royal government when he re-established the parliaments suppressed by his grandfather.
Catherine de' Medici | Honore de BalzacHe was M.P. for Whitchurch in four successive Parliaments, and held a series of important or lucrative offices.
Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2) | Edward Gibbon
British Dictionary definitions for parliament (1 of 2)
/ (ˈpɑːləmənt) /
an assembly of the representatives of a political nation or people, often the supreme legislative authority
any legislative or deliberative assembly, conference, etc
Also: parlement (in France before the Revolution) any of several high courts of justice in which royal decrees were registered
Origin of parliament
1British Dictionary definitions for Parliament (2 of 2)
/ (ˈpɑːləmənt) /
the highest legislative authority in Britain, consisting of the House of Commons, which exercises effective power, the House of Lords, and the sovereign
a similar legislature in another country
the two chambers of a Parliament
the lower chamber of a Parliament
any of the assemblies of such a body created by a general election and royal summons and dissolved before the next election
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for parliament
[ (pahr-luh-muhnt) ]
An assembly of representatives, usually of an entire nation, that makes laws. Parliaments began in the Middle Ages in struggles for power between kings and their people. Today, parliaments differ from other kinds of legislatures in one important way: some of the representatives in the parliament serve as government ministers, in charge of carrying out the laws that the parliament passes. Generally, a parliament is divided by political parties, and the representative who leads the strongest political party in the parliament becomes the nation's head of government. This leader is usually called the prime minister or premier. Typically, a different person — usually a king, queen, or president — is head of state, and this person's duties are usually more ceremonial than governmental.
Notes for parliament
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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