westminster
westminster Lexical Profile
• noun
British An area, inner borough, and city in Greater London, England, located on the north bank of the River Thames, containing the historic and administrative heart of the United Kingdom.
"Tourists flock to Westminster every year to take photographs of Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, and the famous abbey."
British The Parliament of the United Kingdom or the British government and its political system collectively.
"The proposed economic reforms have sparked fierce debate and division within Westminster."
Word Nuance & Usage
Often capitalized and used metonymically in journalism and political discourse to refer to the UK Parliament or the British political establishment as a whole, similar to how 'Washington' is used in the United States.
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'westmynster', a combination of 'west' and 'mynster' (monastery). It originally denoted the abbey church (Westminster Abbey) located to the west of the historic City of London.