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A '''parliament''' is a national or regional [[legislature]]. More specifically, the term "Parliament" (without the definite article, and with a capital "P") is frequently used to denote the legislature of the United Kingdom, which is composed of the Queen, the [[House of Lords]] and the [[House of Commons (UK)|House of Commons]].

A '''parliament''' is a national or regional [[legislature]]. More specifically, the term "Parliament" (without the definite article, and with a capital "P") is frequently used to denote the legislature of the United Kingdom, which is composed of the Queen, the [[House of Lords]] and the [[House of Commons (UK)|House of Commons]]. The name has its origin in the ''Parlements'', laws courts, in pre-Revolutionary France. Although technically restricted to judging laws, the Parlements began to simply disregard laws they disagreed with, thus obtaining legislative power. The modern word "Parliament" generally refers to such a legislative, rather than judicial, body.

The "Parl-" root means "to speak," as in ''parley.''

The "Parl-" root means "to speak," as in ''parley.''