parliamentarian

noun

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

-mən-,

 also  ˌpärl-yə-

1

often capitalized : 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

Opponents of the bill can raise Byrd Rule challenges to be reviewed by the Senate parliamentarian, a nonpartisan appointee who interprets the rules of the Senate and its procedure. —Morgan Kromer, The Washington Examiner, 5 June 2025

Both the Senate parliamentarian and the independent U.S. Government Accountability Office said that the procedure used to block the California waivers was not allowed. —Francine Kiefer, Christian Science Monitor, 2 June 2025

Even an especially grueling interrogation by British parliamentarians at a hearing earlier this year provided few straight answers. —Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 2 May 2025

The Senate parliamentarian, a non-partisan advisor in the upper chamber, will review the final bill to ensure each piece of policy is indeed related to spending. —Riley Beggin, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

parliament + -arian

First Known Use

1642, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for parliamentarian

• authoritarian
• communitarian
• disciplinarian
• egalitarian
• equalitarian
• humanitarian
• majoritarian
• octogenarian
• radiolarian
• totalitarian
• utilitarian
• agrarian

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