parliamentarian

noun

par·​lia·​men·​tar·​i·​an ˌpär-lə-ˌmen-ˈter-ē-ən 

-mən-

also ˌpärl-yə-

1

often Parliamentarian : an adherent of the parliament in opposition to the king during the English Civil War

2

: an expert in the rules and usages of a deliberative assembly (such as a parliament)

3

: a member of a parliament

Examples of parliamentarian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But the Senate parliamentarian could strike down an attempt to pass a voting overhaul as a budget bill. — Joey Garrison, USA Today, 16 July 2026

Zachary Perry, parliamentarian for NPU-V counts votes to recommend against a City of Atlanta change that would allow a data center to be built in Adair Park on Monday, April 13, 2026. — Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 15 July 2026

Braverman was writing in response to another parliamentarian who noted that Jamaica planned to lodge a formal petition for reparations later this year. — Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026

Advertisement The project has met many stumbling blocks, with Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough in May ruling against including funds related to the ballroom in the party’s budget reconciliation bill. — Tiago Ventura, Time, 7 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

parliament + -arian

First Known Use

1642, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for parliamentarian

• antiquarian
• libertarian
• millenarian
• nonsectarian
• proletarian
• sanitarian
• trinitarian
• unitarian
• vegetarian
• veterinarian
• agrarian
• aquarian

Kids Definition

parliamentarian

noun

par·​lia·​men·​tar·​i·​an ˌpär-lə-ˌmen-ˈter-ē-ən 

-mən-

also ˌpärl-yə-

: an expert in parliamentary procedure

Legal Definition

parliamentarian

noun

par·​lia·​men·​tar·​i·​an ˌpär-lə-ˌmen-ˈtar-ē-ən, ˌpärl-yə-, -mən- 

1

: an expert in the rules and usages of a parliament or other deliberative assembly

specifically, often capitalized : an officer of a legislative body acting as adviser on matters of procedure

Note: The parliamentarian of the U.S. House of Representatives is appointed by the Speaker of the House. The Secretary of the Senate appoints the Senate's parliamentarian with approval of the majority leader.

2

: a member of a parliament