parliament

1. (now chiefly historical) A formal council summoned (especially by a monarch) to discuss important issues.Examples: "By the 13th Century, a parliament was when kings met up with English barons to raise cash for fighting wars - mostly against Scotland."countablehistoricaluncountable

2. (collective) A gathering of birds, especially rooks or owls.Examples: ""The people at home call it a rook's parliament when a whole crowd of rooks settle on some bare, wide common, and sit there as if they were consulting, not feeding, only stalking about with drooping wings, and solemn black cloaks.""; "Man is not the random collection of atoms with no opportunity for redemption. A mere school of fish, a gaggle of geese, a pride of lions, and a congress of baboons—am I to believe these lower primates are my ancestors? And if I should ask a parliament of owls, what might they say?"; "He'd seen a parliament of rooks a hundred strong fall on and kill one of their number amongst the nodding barley rows, and had been shown a yew that had the face of Jesus in its bark."collectivecountableuncountable

3. (historical) Parliament cake, a type of gingerbread.Examples: "He […] was disposed to spoil little Georgy, sadly gorging the boy with apples and parliament, to the detriment of his health—until Amelia declared that George should never go out with his grandpapa unless the latter promised solemnly, and on his honour, not to give the child any cakes, lollipops, or stall produce whatever."; "A certain boy leaning up against me would not allow my elbow room, and struck me very sadly in the stomach part, though his own was full of my parliament."; "The children had long ago found out that the kites and shuttlecocks were failures; and popular rumour spoke in deprecating terms of the parliament and gingerbread in general, comparing it to petrified sponge, or slices of pumice stone."countablehistoricaluncountable