Etymologically
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parliamentary

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 13:11. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˌpɑːləˈmɛnt(ə)ɹi/ (UK); /ˌpɑɹləˈmɛnt(ə)ɹi/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is formed from parliament and -ary.[2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of or relating to a parliament: 1604 in MWU, the 1610s in Etymonline;[3][2] 1616 in the OED for enacted by Parliament.[5]

Semantic evolution

In accordance with the rules and usages of a legislature is an early sense.[2] Of the Parliamentary side in the English Civil War it is from 1761,[5] and of the Parliament of Paris from 1620.[5] Slow and deliberate like Parliament's procedure is from 1835,[5] and a parliamentary train, which Parliament required to carry passengers at no more than a penny a mile, from 1845.[5]

Timeline

  • 1604 – first use (MWU).[3]
  • 1616 – established by Parliament.[5]
  • 1626 – of a parliament.[5]
  • 1845 – parliamentary train.[5]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Relating to, enacted by or having a parliament.
  2. In accordance with the rules of a parliament; suitable for use in parliament: parliamentary language.

Word family

  • parliamentarily
  • antiparliamentary
  • interparliamentary
  • preparliamentary

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press