In politics, a Diet is a formal deliberative assembly. The term is derived from Medieval Latin dietas, and ultimately comes from the Latin dies, "day." The word came to be used in this sense because these assemblies met on a daily basis.

Historic uses

In this sense, it commonly refers to the Reichstag assemblies of the Holy Roman Empire; see Reichstag (institution), Diet of Augsburg, Diet of Nuremberg, Diet of Regensburg , and Diet of Worms.

The Riksdag of the Estates was the diet of the four estates of Sweden, from the 15th century until 1866. The Diet of Finland, was the successor to the Riksdag of the Estates in the Grand Duchy of Finland, from 1809 to 1918.

Current uses

In some democratic countries, the legislative branch of the country is known as the Diet. These countries include:

• Japan - The English name for Japan's legislature, Kokkai (国会).
• Poland - The English name for Poland's parliament, Sejm.

Other countries' names for their legislative branch include: Congress, Landtag.