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

The White House pushed back Wednesday on the idea that Republicans affirmatively chose to drop the provision, arguing that the language was removed due to the parliamentarian’s ruling. —Luke Fountain, CNBC, 3 June 2026

The Senate parliamentarian told Republicans over the weekend that this $1 billion could not be included in the bill under Senate rules. —ABC News, 3 June 2026

The Senate parliamentarian advises the presiding officer on whether the provision violates the rule. —Barbara Sprunt, NPR, 3 June 2026

In a message sent to the members of the Quorum Court on Thursday by the body's parliamentarian, a review of the roll call and video/audio recordings of the meeting found that the vote did not meet the requirement for a emergency ordinance. —Daniel McFadin, Arkansas Online, 28 May 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