parliament

noun

par·​lia·​ment ˈpär-lə-mənt How to pronounce parliament (audio)
also
ˈpärl-yə- How to pronounce parliament (audio)
1
: a formal conference for the discussion of public affairs
specifically : a council of state in early medieval England
2
a
: an assemblage of the nobility, clergy, and commons called together by the British sovereign as the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom
b
: a similar assemblage in another nation or state
3
a
: the supreme legislative body of a usually major political unit that is a continuing institution comprising a series of individual assemblages
b
: the British House of Commons
4
: one of several principal courts of justice existing in France before the Revolution of 1789

Examples of parliament in a Sentence

The parliament has authority over the armed forces. The issue was debated in Parliament. The law was passed in the present parliament.
Recent Examples on the Web Wearing a traditional black hat and navy suit with a woven maroon and golden sarong, Prabowo officially became Indonesia’s eighth president on Sunday morning after he was sworn in during a ceremony at Indonesia’s parliament. Reuters, CNN, 20 Oct. 2024 The bill has angered the French left, who view it as a means of appeasing far-right lawmakers in parliament. Frey Lindsay, Forbes, 14 Oct. 2024 Ting Lu, chief China economist at Nomura, had cautioned in a note Thursday that any such stimulus would typically need approval by China’s parliament, expected to hold a meeting later this month. Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 12 Oct. 2024 Some outwardly declared that IRGC leaders—including Ali Shamkhani, the former secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, and Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf, Iran’s speaker of parliament—were engaging in graft. Saeid Golkar, Foreign Affairs, 11 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for parliament 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'parliament.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English parlement, parliament "discourse, conversation, conference, assembly, assembly of the lay and ecclesiastical aristocracy, the Parliament of England or Ireland," borrowed from Anglo-French, from parler "to speak" + -ment -ment — more at parley entry 2

Note: The Anglo-French word was Latinized as parlamentum or parliamentum by the early 13th century. The source of forms with internal -ia- is uncertain. The Oxford English Dictionary, third edition, compares Latin amerciamentum, merciamentum "discretionary penalty or fine" (beside Anglo-French amercement, mercement; see amerce) and maniamentum "possession, administration" (Anglo-French maniement).

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of parliament was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near parliament

Cite this Entry

“Parliament.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/parliament. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

parliament

noun
par·​lia·​ment ˈpär-lə-mənt How to pronounce parliament (audio)
also
ˈpärl-yə- How to pronounce parliament (audio)
: the supreme legislative body of various political units
the British parliament
Etymology

Middle English parliament "a council for discussing government business," from early French parlement (same meaning), from parler "to speak" — related to parley, parlor see Word History at parlor

Legal Definition

parliament

noun
par·​lia·​ment ˈpär-lə-mənt, ˈpärl-yə- How to pronounce parliament (audio)
1
a
: an assemblage of the nobility, clergy, and commons called together by the British sovereign as the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom
b
: a similar assemblage in another nation or state
2
: the supreme legislative body of a usually major political unit that is a continuing institution comprising a series of individual assemblages
Etymology

Anglo-French parlement conference, council, parliament, from parler to speak

More from Merriam-Webster on parliament

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!