Parliament
collective noun /ˈpɑːləmənt/ — What you call a group of owls — and it couldn't be more fitting.
Definition
The collective noun for a group of owls. Owls are largely solitary but the term reflects their ancient association with wisdom, deliberation, and nocturnal authority.
Beyond the definition
Owls have been symbols of wisdom since ancient Greece — Athena's emblem was an owl. Calling their gathering a parliament captures something essential: the idea that wisdom, when it assembles, looks like careful deliberation in the dark.
Origin & history
From Old French parlement — a speaking, a discussion (parler 'to speak'). The first English Parliament emerged in the 13th century. The collective noun appears in medieval bestiaries that matched animal groups to human institutions.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
A parliament of owls occupied the old barn, silent judges of the night.
He stood still, aware that a parliament of owls was watching from the oaks above.
The naturalist documented the parliament — seven barn owls sharing a single ruin.
How to use it
Follow this entry’s examples for grammatical form and sentence placement.
Choose “Parliament” when the meaning fits your context: The collective noun for a group of owls. Owls are largely solitary but the term reflects their ancient association with wisdom, deliberation, and nocturnal authority.
Synonyms
group, flock, assembly, congress
Related words
Word in the Wild
Illustrative story: an imagined scene, not a documented event or interview.
The naturalist arrived at the old stone barn at dusk and waited until dark. By nine o'clock, she had counted seven barn owls moving silently between the rafters and the fields outside.
She sat in the dark for three hours with a thermal scope, watching them come and go.
"A parliament," she said to herself, and meant it. The word had seemed whimsical before. In the barn, in the dark, with seven owls arranging themselves with evident purpose and silent authority, it became simply accurate.
Questions about this word
What does "Parliament" mean?
Parliament is collective noun meaning: What you call a group of owls — and it couldn't be more fitting.. The collective noun for a group of owls. Owls are largely solitary but the term reflects their ancient association with wisdom, deliberation, and nocturnal authority.
Where does the word "Parliament" come from?
From Old French parlement — a speaking, a discussion (parler 'to speak'). The first English Parliament emerged in the 13th century. The collective noun appears in medieval bestiaries that matched animal groups to human institutions.