parliament

parliament — noun

1. the official assembly of representatives, mostly chosen by election, whose job i

1.nounB2
Definition

the official assembly of representatives, mostly chosen by election, whose job is to debate and pass laws for a nation; in the UK it has two chambers — Commons and Lords.

Example

Maya was elected to parliament for the first time last spring.

elected to parliament (no article)

The new tax bill will be debated in parliament next Tuesday morning.

debated in parliament: typical legislative collocation

Common collocations
  • sit in parliament
  • elected to parliament
  • Member of Parliament
  • act of parliament
  • dissolve parliament
Synonyms
  • legislature

    more technical and neutral; covers any law-making body, including the U.S. Congress

  • congress

    the usual term for the U.S. national legislature, not used for the UK system

  • assembly

    broader; can mean a regional or non-national elected body

Grammar Patterns

sit in parliament

elected to parliament

Usage Note

Often capitalised as 'Parliament' when naming a specific national body (e.g. the UK Parliament). Used both countably ('a parliament', 'parliaments around the world') and as a bare noun without 'the' in fixed phrases like 'in parliament' and 'elected to parliament'.

Common Mistakes

She was elected to the parliament last year.
She was elected to parliament last year.
drop 'the' in this set phrase when speaking generally.
The parliament are discussing the bill.
Parliament is discussing the bill.' / 'Members of Parliament are discussing the bill.
use singular agreement, or shift the subject to the members.

2. a single stretch of time, usually running from one general election to the next,

2.nounC1
Definition

a single stretch of time, usually running from one general election to the next, in which one set of elected members serves and meets in sittings.

Example

Housing reform became the main goal of the new parliament after the May election.

the new parliament: term-of-office reading

Three pension bills failed during the last parliament because of repeated delays.

during the last parliament: time-period use

Common collocations
  • during this parliament
  • the last parliament
  • open a parliament
  • the end of the parliament
Synonyms
  • term

    more general; works for any elected body or official, not only legislatures

  • session

    narrower; a session is one sitting period within a parliament, not the whole stretch

Grammar Patterns

the [first/last/next] parliament

during this parliament

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense names a period of time, not the institution itself. Typical signals are time markers like 'during', 'last', 'next', 'this', and verbs of duration ('last', 'end', 'open'). Often appears with ordinal numbering in formal writing, e.g. 'the 58th Parliament'.

Common Mistakes

The parliament voted yes' (when meaning the term of office).
During the last parliament, members voted yes.
sense 2 is a span of time, so it can't be the agent of a single vote.

Word family

  • parliamentary
    adjectiveC1
  • parliamentarian
    nounC2
  • parliamentarianism
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words name a body of people who make laws, but they differ in scope and country fit. 'Parliament' is the standard term in the UK, Canada, Australia, India, Japan and many European countries; it usually has two chambers, with a head of state separate from the chief lawmaker. 'Congress' is reserved for the United States and a few Latin American systems, and it sits independently of the president. 'Legislature' is the most general and technical word — useful when comparing systems or talking about a regional body, e.g. a state legislature. 'Assembly' is broader still and often names a single chamber or a non-national body, such as a national assembly or a city assembly. So you would say 'the British Parliament', 'the U.S. Congress', 'the Texas legislature', and 'the Welsh Assembly', not the other way round.

parliament ↗congress ↗legislature ↗assembly ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • Member of Parliament
  • act of parliament
  • parliament building
  • European Parliament
  • parliament session

Phrases

  • sit in parliament
  • elected to parliament
  • dissolve parliament
  • open parliament
  • pass through parliament

Prepositions

  • in parliament
  • to parliament
  • before parliament
  • through parliament

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchAnglo-FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word came into English in the 1200s from Old French 'parlement', which originally just meant a 'talk' or 'discussion', built on the verb 'parler' ('to speak'). At first it named any formal meeting where important people came to debate matters of state. Over the next two centuries, as the English king's councils grew into a regular legislative gathering, the word narrowed to the specific assembly that met to advise the crown and approve taxes. By the late Middle Ages it had become the name of the institution we know today, with the modern sense of an elected lawmaking body emerging as voting rights gradually expanded.