Definitions for Parliament
ˈpɑr lə mənt; sometimes ˈpɑrl yə-Par·lia·ment

Princeton's WordNet(4.25 / 4 votes)Rate this definition:

1. parliament(noun)

   a legislative assembly in certain countries

2. fantan, sevens, parliament(noun)

   a card game in which you play your sevens and other cards in sequence in the same suit as the sevens; you win if you are the first to use all your cards

Wiktionary(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. parliament(Noun)

   An institution whose elected or appointed members meet to debate the major political issues of the day and usually to exercise legislative powers and sometimes judicial powers.

2. parliament(Noun)

   A collective noun for a flock of owls or rooks.

3. parliament(Noun)

   Parliament cake; a type of gingerbread.

4. Parliament(ProperNoun)

   Any of several parliaments of various countries.

Origin: From parlamentum and its sources, and parlement, from parler, and -ment.

Webster Dictionary(3.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Parliament(noun)

   a parleying; a discussion; a conference

2. Parliament(noun)

   a formal conference on public affairs; a general council; esp., an assembly of representatives of a nation or people having authority to make laws

3. Parliament(noun)

   the assembly of the three estates of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, viz., the lords spiritual, lords temporal, and the representatives of the commons, sitting in the House of Lords and the House of Commons, constituting the legislature, when summoned by the royal authority to consult on the affairs of the nation, and to enact and repeal laws

4. Parliament(noun)

   in France, before the Revolution of 1789, one of the several principal judicial courts

Origin: [OE. parlement, F. parlement, fr. parler to speak; cf. LL. parlamentum, parliamentum. See Parley.]

Freebase(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Parliament

   A parliament is a legislature whose power and function are similar to those dictated by the Westminster system of the United Kingdom. More generally, "parliament" may simply refer to a democratic government's legislature. The term is derived from the French parlement, the action of parler: a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which such a discussion took place. It acquired its modern meaning as it came to be used for the body of people who would meet to discuss matters of state. Generally, a parliament has three functions: representation, legislation and parliamentary control.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(4.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Parliament

   pär′li-ment, n. a meeting for deliberation: the supreme legislature of Great Britain, also of some of her colonies: in France, down to the Revolution, one of certain superior and final courts of judicature, in which also the edicts of the king were registered before becoming law.—adjs. Parliamentā′rian, adhering to the Parliament in opposition to Charles I.; Parliament′ary, pertaining to parliament: enacted or done by parliament: according to the rules and practices of legislative bodies.—Parliamentary agent, a person employed by private persons or societies for drafting bills or managing business to be brought before parliament; Parliamentary borough, a borough having the right of sending a member or members to parliament; Parliamentary train, a train which, by act of parliament, runs both ways along a line of railway, at least once each day, at the rate of one penny per mile.—Act of parliament, a statute that has passed through both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, and received the formal royal assent. [Fr. parlement—parler, to speak.]

The Nuttall Encyclopedia(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Parliament

   is the name of the great legislative council of Britain representing the three estates of the realm—Clergy, Lords, and Commons. The Clergy are represented in the Upper House by the archbishops and bishops of sees founded prior to 1846, in number 26; the rest of the Upper House comprises the dukes, marquises, earls, viscounts, and barons of the peerage of Great Britain who sit in virtue of their titles, and representatives of the Scotch and Irish peerages elected for life; the total membership is over 550; the House of Lords may initiate any bill not a money bill, it does not deal with financial measures at all except to give its formal assent; it also revises bills passed by the Commons, and may reject these. Of late years this veto has come to be exercised only in cases where it seems likely that the Commons do not retain the confidence of the people, having thus the effect of referring the question for the decision of the constituencies. The Lords constitute the final court of appeal in all legal questions, but in exercising this function only those who hold or have held high judicial office take part. The House of Commons comprises 670 representatives of the people; its members represent counties, divisions of counties, burghs, wards of burghs, and universities, and are elected by owners of land and by occupiers of land or buildings of £10 annual rental who are commoners, males, of age, and not disqualified by unsoundness of mind, conviction for crime, or receipt of parochial relief. The Commons initiates most of the legislation, deals with bills already initiated and passed by the Lords, inquires into all matters of public concern, discusses and determines imperial questions, and exercises the sole right to vote supplies of money. To become law bills must pass the successive stages of first and second reading, committee, and third reading in both Houses, and receive the assent of the sovereign, which has not been refused for nearly two centuries.

Suggested Resources(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. parliament

   Song lyrics by parliament -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by parliament on the Lyrics.com website.

Etymology and Origins(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Parliament

   From the French parlerment, founded on the Latin verb parler, to speak. See “Parlour.”

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'Parliament' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1027

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'Parliament' in Written Corpus Frequency: #1783

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'Parliament' in Nouns Frequency: #445

How to pronounce Parliament?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say Parliament in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of Parliament in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of Parliament in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

Examples of Parliament in a Sentence

1. Lars Klingbeil:

   It is a disgrace that such characters sit in parliament.

2. Kaja Kallas:

   I recognize I might not have enough support in parliament.

3. Toshio Yazawa:

   Why are they dissolving the parliament? It makes no sense to me.

4. Vince Cable:

   With Parliament in deadlock, it is time to go back to the public.

5. Hassan Abbasi:

   Rouhani, Zarif and (parliament speaker Ali) Larijani, go to hell.

Images & Illustrations of Parliament

Popularity rank by frequency of use