parliamentarian

noun

par·​lia·​men·​tar·​i·​an ˌpär-lə-ˌmen-ˈter-ē-ən 

-mən-,

 also  ˌpärl-yə-

1

often capitalized : an adherent of the parliament in opposition to the king during the English Civil War

2

: an expert in the rules and usages of a deliberative assembly (such as a parliament)

3

: a member of a parliament

Examples of parliamentarian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Zanoni, along with Luana Zanella, a national parliamentarian from the Green Party, has filed parliamentary questions urging Italian authorities to investigate the matter. —Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025

Andrea Zanoni, a member of the Veneto regional assembly, and Luana Zanella, a national parliamentarian, have filed two separate parliamentary questions urging regional and national authorities to take action against the alleged offence. —Alvise Armellini, USA TODAY, 4 Feb. 2025

In 2022, the Israeli parliamentarian Naftali Bennett recalled negotiating with Netanyahu after a recent election failed to yield a clear winner. —Ruth Margalit, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2025

The Senate parliamentarian eventually blocked that move on a technicality, but Espaillat, García and Correa forced House Democrats to take an unprecedented risk on immigration. —Rafael Bernal, The Hill, 9 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

parliament + -arian

First Known Use

1642, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

parliamentarian

noun

par·​lia·​men·​tar·​i·​an ˌpär-lə-ˌmen-ˈter-ē-ən 

-mən-,

 also  ˌpärl-yə-

: an expert in parliamentary procedure

Legal Definition

parliamentarian

noun

par·​lia·​men·​tar·​i·​an ˌpär-lə-ˌmen-ˈtar-ē-ən, ˌpärl-yə-, -mən- 

1

: an expert in the rules and usages of a parliament or other deliberative assembly

specifically, often capitalized : an officer of a legislative body acting as adviser on matters of procedure

Note: The parliamentarian of the U.S. House of Representatives is appointed by the Speaker of the House. The Secretary of the Senate appoints the Senate's parliamentarian with approval of the majority leader.

2

: a member of a parliament