Other forms: parliaments
A parliament is the elected assembly that debates and makes a country's laws. The Scottish Parliament, sit in parliament, a parliamentary vote.
The British Parliament has two houses, the Commons and the Lords, and a parliament is also the period between two general elections — the last parliament lasted four years. The word takes a capital letter when it names a particular one. Note parliamentary, the adjective; member of parliament, shortened to MP; and that congress is the equivalent word in the United States and several other countries.
1nounparliamentThe elected assembly that debates and makes laws.
“Parliament sat until about two in the morning.”
synonyms: congress, legislature
2nounperiodThe period between two general elections.
“The bill was carried over from the previous parliament.”
parliament is a law-making body.
Also accepted in games: congress
Old French parlement comes from parler, to speak — a parliament is a talking place. The name was fixed in the thirteenth century and is the most accurate description any institution has ever been given.
Middle English
parlement
English, today
parliament
Built from
From Middle English parlement. From Middle English parlement, from Anglo-Norman parliament, parlement, parliment and Old French parlement (“discussion, meeting, negotiation; assembly, council”), from parler (“to speak”) + -ment (“-ment”) (from Latin -mentum). Compare Medieval Latin parlamentum, parliamentum (“discussion, meeting; council or court summoned by the monarch”), Italian parlamento and Sicilian parramentu.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA