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• parliamentarian
  parliamentarian

  noun

  a person who is expert in the formal rules and procedures of deliberative assemblies and other formal organizations.
• Parliamentarian
  Parliamentarian

  noun

  a supporter of Parliament during the English Civil War

parliamentarian

American  

[pahr-luh-men-tair-ee-uhn, -muhn-, pahrl-yuh-] / ˌpɑr lə mɛnˈtɛər i ən, -mən-, ˌpɑrl jə- /

noun

1. a person who is expert in the formal rules and procedures of deliberative assemblies and other formal organizations.

2. (sometimes initial capital letter) a member of Parliament.

3. (initial capital letter) a partisan of the British Parliament in opposition to Charles I.

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parliamentarian ¹ British  

/ ˌpɑːləmɛnˈtɛərɪən /

noun

1. an expert in parliamentary procedures, etc

2. (sometimes capital) a Member of Parliament

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adjective

1. of or relating to a parliament or parliaments

Parliamentarian ² British  

/ ˌpɑːləmɛnˈtɛərɪən /

noun

1. a supporter of Parliament during the English Civil War

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adjective

1. of or relating to Parliament or its supporters during the English Civil War

Etymology

Origin of parliamentarian

First recorded in 1605–15; parliament + -arian

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Explanation

A parliamentarian is someone who's very familiar with the rules of a legislative body, often because they're a member of it. In the U.S., a parliamentarian advises lawmakers on complex Senate and House rules. In the 17th century, parliamentarians opposed the monarchy during the English Civil War; in Britain today, a parliamentarian is simply a member of parliament, the U.K. government. United States parliamentarians, experts in the rules of the legislature, are appointed to the House and Senate by the majority party. Their job is to answer any procedural questions and offer nonpartisan advice. Parliamentarian is from parliament, "assembly," and its Latin root, meaning "to speak."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

parliamentarian Parliamentarian

Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla resigned as a parliamentarian in December after police said they were investigating claims she lured men to the Russian war.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis also paid tribute in the Commons, calling Sir George a "hugely experienced parliamentarian" who would be "very much missed".

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026

Iranian parliamentarian Ebrahim Rezaei, a spokesperson for Iran's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, wrote on X that the 14 points reported by Axios amounted to a US "wish list".

From BBC ● May 6, 2026

Budget reconciliation is governed by strict rules, enforced by a strict parliamentarian, requiring that reconciliation items pertain to taxes and spending.

From Slate ● Mar. 24, 2026

The meeting was held in secret, and the parliamentarian, who spoke perfect English, having been educated at Oxford, asked for anonymity, which he believed would enable him to better work behind the scenes.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough issued her rejections on Thursday, saying the struck sections ran afoul of the Senate’s rules.

From Salon ● Jun. 26, 2025

Parliamentarian Gebran Bassil, the son-in-law of President Aoun, the head of the Free Patriotic Movement party, and an ally of Hezbollah, has long been seen as Aoun’s successor of choice.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 9, 2022

Daniel Freund, a European Parliamentarian, denounced the gas deal when it was announced.

From New York Times ● Sep. 13, 2022

A Parliamentarian getting a fixed notice should accept, acknowledge and apologise for it, he said, adding: "That is the right way to handle that - and that is what the prime minister has done."

From BBC ● Apr. 19, 2022

Xenocrates looked over to the Parliamentarian, who had jurisdiction in such matters.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

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