parliament

[ pahr-luh-muhnt or, sometimes, pahrl-yuh- ]

/ ˈpɑr lə mənt or, sometimes, ˈpɑrl yə- /

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See synonyms for parliament on Thesaurus.com

noun

(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).

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Also Obsolete, par·le·ment

[pahr-luh-muhnt] /ˈpɑr lə mənt/ .

Origin of parliament

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English: “discourse, consultation, Parliament,” from Anglo-Latin parliamentum, alteration of Medieval Latin parlāmentum, from Old French parlement “a speaking, conference” (see parle, -ment); replacing Middle English parlement, from Old French

OTHER WORDS FROM parliament

an·ti·par·lia·ment, adjectivein·ter·par·lia·ment, adjectivesub·par·lia·ment, noun

Words nearby parliament

parlando, parlay, parle, parley, parleyvoo, parliament, parliamentarian, parliamentarianism, parliamentary, parliamentary agent, Parliamentary Commissioner

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use parliament in a sentence

For starters, on the first day of parliament, the government said it had maintained no data on the number of migrants who lost their lives because of the pandemic-related lockdown.
A list of things the Modi government says it has no data on|Manavi Kapur|September 18, 2020|Quartz
As well as all Politico-published content, it pulls in publicly available content like bills, procedures, parliament transcripts, lobbying information, press releases and tweets.
After reaching profitability in 2019, Politico EU aims for 10% revenue growth this year|Lucinda Southern|September 11, 2020|Digiday
He worked part-time to put himself through college and landed a job as secretary to a member of parliament from Yokohama, thanks to an introduction from the head of his university’s alumni association, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reports.
How the son of strawberry pickers became Japan’s most likely choice for next prime minister|claychandler|September 3, 2020|Fortune
A senior government official in the planning ministry, who does not wish to be named, says that a new draft of the legislation will be circulated for cabinet approval before being presented to parliament.
Pakistan’s Military Plots Takeover of Marquee China Project|Charu Kasturi|August 31, 2020|Ozy

Under the proposed law, the government would cede further ground to the military, which took over control of CPEC last year through a presidential ordinance that bypassed parliament.
Pakistan’s Military Plots Takeover of Marquee China Project|Charu Kasturi|August 31, 2020|Ozy
Parliament looks at measures to monitor toddlers for anti-Semitic speech.
Britain May Spy on Preschoolers Searching for Potential Jihadis|Nico Hines|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He may have been relieved to head for Westminster as a Member of Parliament on Oct. 1, 1386.
A Year In The Life of The Canterbury Tales’ Storied Beginnings|Wendy Smith|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A political leader told us parliament won't do anything unless people revolt.
Will the Swiss Quit Cooking their Kittens and Puppies?|Barbie Latza Nadeau|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Poroshenko said in the summer that he needed a new parliament and government to get things moving,” says Alexander.
Ukraine Militias Warn of Anti-Kiev Coup|Jamie Dettmer|November 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Well we have a new parliament and there are no excuses left,” he says darkly.
Ukraine Militias Warn of Anti-Kiev Coup|Jamie Dettmer|November 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The parliament house and library of the British provinces, at Montreal, burned by a mob.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
It was at this parliament that the famous acts against horse racing and deceitful gaming were passed.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
Parliament of England ordered the Book of Sports to be burned by the common hangman.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
A remnant of the long parliament assembled during the anarchy, and has been termed the rump.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
An act of parliament passed, authorizing the East India company to export their own tea, duty 3d.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell

British Dictionary definitions for parliament (1 of 2)

parliament

/ (ˈpɑːləmənt) /

noun

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

Word Origin for parliament

C13: from Anglo-Latin parliamentum, from Old French parlement, from parler to speak; see parley

British Dictionary definitions for parliament (2 of 2)

Parliament

/ (ˈpɑːləmənt) /

noun

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

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 number of nations governed by parliaments has greatly increased in modern times.

parliament

Origin of parliament

OTHER WORDS FROM parliament

Words nearby parliament

Words related to parliament

How to use parliament in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for parliament (1 of 2)

Word Origin for parliament

British Dictionary definitions for parliament (2 of 2)

Cultural definitions for parliament

notes for parliament