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

What can be included depends on the judgment of the parliamentarian, a nonpartisan Senate rulemaker who could present additional obstacles for Republicans outside the divisions within their own conference. —Tobias Burns, The Hill, 27 Mar. 2025

Shortly thereafter, an Iranian parliamentarian boasted that his government controlled four Arab capitals: Baghdad, Beirut, Damascus, and Sanaa. —Michael Knights, Foreign Affairs, 11 Mar. 2025

During a hearing with the U.K. Parliament’s Business and Trade Committee, Shein refused to answer a series of tough questions about its sourcing and labor practices, igniting the anger of parliamentarians. —Tianwei Zhang, WWD, 8 Jan. 2025

One large wild card, however, is when — and how — the Senate parliamentarian rules on whether Republicans can use the current policy baseline, the budgetary gimmick that leaders are hoping to utilize to make the 2017 Trump tax cuts permanent. —Mychael Schnell, The Hill, 31 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

parliament + -arian

First Known Use

1642, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for parliamentarian

• authoritarian
• communitarian
• disciplinarian
• egalitarian
• equalitarian
• humanitarian
• majoritarian
• octogenarian
• radiolarian
• totalitarian
• utilitarian
• agrarian

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