parliament (English)
Where does "parliament" come from?
The word 'parliament' originated from the Old French 'parlement,' which meant a discussion or a formal meeting. This term traces back to the verb 'parler', the same root behind 'parable', ultimately descending from a Latin term for comparing things. Over time, the word shifted from describing the act of speaking to identifying the formal bodies of government that gathered for such discourse.
Full etymology tree
- parliament (English), 'A formal council summoned (especially by a monarch) to discuss important issues.'
- inherited parlement (Middle English), 'A discussion or conversation; talking.'
- borrowed parler (Old French), 'to speak; to talk'
- inherited parler (Middle French), 'to speak; to talk.'
- inherited parabolāre (Latin), 'inflection of parabolō:'
- derived parabola (Latin), 'A comparison, illustration, likeness'
- borrowed παραβολή (parabolḗ) (Ancient Greek), 'a placing of two things side by side, juxtaposition'
- affix -ō (Latin), 'Used to form masculine nouns with various meanings:'
- derived parabola (Latin), 'A comparison, illustration, likeness'
- inherited parabolāre (Latin), 'inflection of parabolō:'
- inherited parler (Middle French), 'to speak; to talk.'
- borrowed parler (Old French), 'to speak; to talk'
- inherited parlement (Middle English), 'A discussion or conversation; talking.'
Direct ancestors
- gʷelH- (Proto-Indo-European)
- parlement (Middle English)
- parlement (Old French)
- -mentum (Latin)
- parlamento (Italian)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris