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parliament

 [pahr-luh-muhnt or, sometimes, pahrl-yuh-]   Example Sentences Origin

par·lia·ment

   [pahr-luh-muhnt or, sometimes, pahrl-yuh-]
noun
1.
(usually initial capital letter) the legislature of Great Britain, historically the assembly of the three estates, now composed of Lords Spiritual and Lords Temporal, forming together the House of Lords, and representatives of the counties, cities, boroughs, and universities, forming the House of Commons.
2.
(usually initial capital letter) the legislature of certain British colonies and possessions.
3.
a legislative body in any of various other countries.
4.
French History. any of several high courts of justice in France before 1789.
5.
a meeting or assembly for conference on public or national affairs.
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6.
Cards. fan-tan (def. 1).
COLLAPSE
Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English: discourse, consultation, Parliament < Anglo-Latin parliamentum, alteration of Medieval Latin parlāmentum < Old French parlement a speaking, conference (see parle, -ment); replacing Middle English parlement < Old French

Related forms
an·ti·par·lia·ment, adjective
in·ter·par·lia·ment, adjective
sub·par·lia·ment, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Parliament is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
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Example Sentences
  • Socialist government resigned last month after parliament rejected an austerity package.
  • The country set aside 24 of 80 seats in its parliament for women.
  • Checks and balances which moderate the power of parliament and that of the emperor are prescribed constitutionally.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
parliament (ˈpɑːləmənt)
 
—n
1.  an assembly of the representatives of a political nation or people, often the supreme legislative authority
2.  any legislative or deliberative assembly, conference, etc
3.  Also: parlement (in France before the Revolution) any of several high courts of justice in which royal decrees were registered
 
[C13: from Anglo-Latin parliamentum, from Old French parlement, from parler to speak; see parley]

Parliament (ˈpɑːləmənt)
 
—n
1.  the highest legislative authority in Britain, consisting of the House of Commons, which exercises effective power, the House of Lords, and the sovereign
2.  a similar legislature in another country
3.  the two chambers of a Parliament
4.  the lower chamber of a Parliament
5.  any of the assemblies of such a body created by a general election and royal summons and dissolved before the next election

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

parliament
late 13c., from O.Fr. parlement (11c.), originally "speaking, talk," from parler "to speak" (see parley); spelling altered c.1400 to conform with M.L. parliamentum. Anglo-L. parliamentum is attested from early 13c. Related: Parliamentary.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
parliament [(pahr-luh-muhnt)]

An assembly of representatives, usually of an entire nation, that makes laws. Parliaments began in the Middle Ages in struggles for power between kings and their people. Today, parliaments differ from other kinds of legislatures in one important way: some of the representatives in the parliament serve as government ministers, in charge of carrying out the laws that the parliament passes. Generally, a parliament is divided by political parties, and the representative who leads the strongest political party in the parliament becomes the nation's head of government. This leader is usually called the prime minister or premier. Typically, a different person — usually a king, queen, or president — is head of state, and this person's duties are usually more ceremonial than governmental.

Note: The number of nations governed by parliaments has greatly increased in modern times.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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