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):

  (file)

Proper noun

House of Commons

1. (UK, politics) The lower house of the British Parliament; a session of the house.
   • 1842, William Chambers & al., Chambers's Information for the People, page 178:

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

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

Synonyms

• Commons; Commons House (uncommon)

Translations

lower house in UK or Canadian parliament

• Armenian: համայնքների պալատ (hamaynkʻneri palat)
• Chinese:

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

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

• Czech: Dolní sněmovna f
• Danish: Underhuset n
• Dutch: Lagerhuis (nl)
• Finnish: alahuone (fi)
• French: Chambre des communes (fr) f
• Georgian: თემთა პალატა (temta ṗalaṭa)
• German: House of Commons (de) n, Unterhaus (de) n, Haus ab Gemeinen n
• Greek: Βουλή των Κοινοτήτων (Voulí ton Koinotíton)
• Hindi: कामन सभा f (kāman sabhā)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hungarian: Képviselőház
• Italian: Camera dei comuni f
• Japanese: 庶民院 (しょみんいん, Shōmin'in)
• 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)
• Polish: Izba Gmin f
• Portuguese: Câmara dos Comuns f
• Romanian: Camera Comunelor f
• Russian: пала́та общи́н f (paláta obščín)
• Scottish Gaelic: Taigh nan Cumantan m
• Spanish: Cámara de los Comunes
• Swedish: Underhuset n

See also

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

Noun

House of Commons (plural Houses of Commons)

1. (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".