House of Commons

See also: house of commons

English

Etymology

“House”, in this term, means a deliberative assembly, while “the Commons” stands for “the common people”, as opposed to nobility.

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

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Proper noun

the House of Commons

1. (UK politics) The lower house of the British Parliament.
   • 2024 March 20, Conrad Landin, “"Farcical" Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act isn't working”, in RAIL, number 1005, page 25:

     When the legislation was debated by the House of Commons, Labour Deputy Leader Angela Rayner said it was "riddled with holes", while former Conservative Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg said it was "badly written".

2. (Canada, politics) The lower house of the Canadian Parliament.

Synonyms

• Commons; Commons House (uncommon)

Translations

lower house in UK or Canadian parliament

• Arabic: مَجْلِس عُمُوم m (majlis ʕumūm)
• Armenian: համայնքների պալատ (hamaynkʻneri palat)
• Belarusian: пала́та абшчы́н f (paláta abščýn)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 下議院／下议院 (haa⁶ ji⁵ jyun^6-2), 眾議院／众议院 (zung³ ji⁵ jyun^6-2)

  Mandarin: 下議院／下议院 (zh) (xiàyìyuàn), 眾議院／众议院 (zh) (zhòngyìyuàn)

• Czech: Dolní sněmovna f
• Danish: Underhuset n
• Dutch: Lagerhuis (nl) n
• Finnish: alahuone (fi)
• French: Chambre des communes (fr) f
• Georgian: თემთა პალატა (temta ṗalaṭa)
• German: Unterhaus (de) n, (also) House of Commons (de) n, (archaic) Haus der Gemeinen n
• Greek: Βουλή των Κοινοτήτων (Voulí ton Koinotíton)
• Hindi: कामन सभा f (kāman sabhā)
• Hungarian: képviselőház (hu)
• Italian: Camera dei comuni f
• Japanese: 庶民院 (しょみんいん, Shōmin'in), 下院 (ja) (かいん, kain)
• Korean: 하원(下院) (ko) (hawon)
• Macedonian: Дом на општините m (Dom na opštinite), Долен дом m (Dolen dom)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: Underhuset n

  Nynorsk: Underhuset n

• Ojibwe: onashowediiwigamig (UK), onashowediiwigamigoons (Canada)
• Persian: مَجلِسِ عَوام (majles-e 'avâm)
• Polish: Izba Gmin f
• Portuguese: Câmara dos Comuns f
• Romanian: Camera Comunelor f
• Russian: пала́та о́бщин (ru) f (paláta óbščin)
• Scottish Gaelic: Taigh nan Cumantan m
• Spanish: Cámara de los Comunes
• Swedish: Underhuset n
• Thai: สภาสามัญชน (sà-paa-sǎa-man-chon), สภาผู้แทนราษฎร (sà-paa-pûu-tɛɛn-râat-sà-dɔɔn)
• Ukrainian: пала́та грома́д f (paláta hromád)
• Urdu: دار اَلْعُلُوم (dār al'ulūm)

See also

• Houses of Parliament
• House of Lords
• Prime Minister
• Member of Parliament

Noun

House of Commons (plural Houses of Commons)

1. A session of the House of Commons.
   • 1842, William Chambers et al., Chambers's Information for the People, page 178:

     Reckoning from 1802 till November 15, 1837, there were thirteen Houses of Commons

2. (Canada slang, humorous euphemistic) An outhouse: an outbuilding used as a lavatory.
   • 1987, Chris Thain, Cold as a Bay Street Banker's Heart, page 86:

     Right across western Canada, the "house of commons" is the biffey. Now that should tell you something about the way westerners feel about the goings-on in Ottawa.

Alternative forms

• house of commons

Synonyms

• commons, common house; see also Thesaurus:bathroom

References

• The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English. "House of Commons".