parliament

American  

[pahr-luh-muhnt, pahrl-yuh-] / ˈpɑr lə mənt, ˈpɑrl yə- /

Obsolete, parlement

noun

1. (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.

2. (usually initial capital letter) the legislature of certain British colonies and possessions.

3. a legislative body in any of various other countries.

4. French History. any of several high courts of justice in France before 1789.

5. a meeting or assembly for conference on public or national affairs.

6. Cards. fan-tan.

---

parliament ¹ British  

/ ˈpɑːləmənt /

noun

1. an assembly of the representatives of a political nation or people, often the supreme legislative authority

2. any legislative or deliberative assembly, conference, etc

3. Also: parlement.  (in France before the Revolution) any of several high courts of justice in which royal decrees were registered

---

Parliament ² British  

/ ˈpɑːləmənt /

noun

1. the highest legislative authority in Britain, consisting of the House of Commons, which exercises effective power, the House of Lords, and the sovereign

2. a similar legislature in another country

3. the two chambers of a Parliament

4. the lower chamber of a Parliament

5. any of the assemblies of such a body created by a general election and royal summons and dissolved before the next election

---

parliament Cultural  

1. 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.

---

Discover More

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

Other Word Forms

• antiparliament adjective
• interparliament adjective
• subparliament noun

Etymology

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” ( parle, -ment ); replacing Middle English parlement, from Old French

Example Sentences

Rodriguez has the avowed loyalty of Venezuela's military and state institutions: her brother is the influential head of parliament.

From Barron's

Plans for a federal law to protect critical infrastructure have been in the works for years but were only presented to parliament in November.

From BBC

On Tuesday, Zelensky called the latest work on security guarantees “good steps forward” but said Kyiv hoped to see the pledges converted into formal documents backed by Western parliaments.

From The Wall Street Journal

Justice Secretary Angela Constance broke the ministerial code after making controversial comments about a grooming gangs expert in parliament, an investigation has found.

From BBC

Khmara's appointment will need to be confirmed by the Ukrainian parliament, which may yet reject it.

From BBC

Related Words

• court