What is the difference between government and parliament?

While government is a general term for the group of individuals who possess the authority to govern or regulate a political entity, such as a city, state or country, parliament is a specific type of government. Under a parliamentary system, the word "parliament" is synonymous with government.

Under a parliamentary system of government, the executive power is held by a group of democratically-elected individuals consisting of the prime minister or chancellor as the head of government and a series of ministers known as the cabinet. There are various forms of parliamentary government, including parliamentary democracy, cabinet-parliamentary democracy and parliamentary monarchy.