Origin: Latin suffix -ment
Parliament has 4 different meanings across 2 categories:
a legislative assembly in certain countries
"The parliament voted to increase funding for rural education projects next week."
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
"During our tea break, we finally got around to playing parliament because everyone was eager to see who could clear their hand first."
A formal council summoned (especially by a monarch) to discuss important issues.
"The King formally summoned parliament to address the urgent crisis threatening the kingdom's borders."
In plain English: A parliament is a group of elected officials who make laws for a country.
"The parliament met yesterday to discuss the new budget."
Usage: Parliament refers to the elected legislative body of a country, such as the United Kingdom or Canada, where laws are debated and passed. Do not use it to describe any generic meeting or council unless you are specifically referring to that nation's official government assembly.
Any of several parliaments of various countries.
"The news report compared how parliament in London debated the budget differently from parliament in Ottawa."
The word "parliament" comes from Old French parlement, meaning "discussion" or "assembly," which is derived from the verb parler ("to speak"). It originally referred to a meeting or council where people gathered to negotiate and speak together.