different between parley vs palaver

English

Etymology

From Middle English parlai (“speech, parley”), from Old French parler (“to talk; to speak”), from Late Latin parabol?, from Latin parabola (“comparison”), from Ancient Greek ???????? (parabol?), from ???? (pará, “beside”) with ???? (bol?, “throwing”). Doublet of palaver.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?p??li/, /?p??le?/
• (some non-rhotic accents) IPA^(key): /?p??l?/

Noun

parley (countable and uncountable, plural parleys)

1. A conference, especially one between enemies.
   • 1920, Peter B. Kyne, The Understanding Heart, Chapter IV

     Without further parley Garland rode off up the hog's-back and the sheriff rode off down it [...]

Usage notes

Not to be confused with parlay (“bet or series of bets where the stake and winnings are cumulatively carried forward”).

Translations

Verb

parley (third-person singular simple present parleys, present participle parleying, simple past and past participle parleyed)

1. (intransitive) To have a discussion, especially one between enemies.
   • 1638 Herbert, Sir Thomas Some years travels into divers parts of Asia and Afrique

     [...] at day break we found the villaine, who, loath to parlee in fire and ?hot, fled amaine and left us [...]

Usage notes

Not to be confused with parlay (“to carry forward the stake and winnings from a bet on to a subsequent wager or series of wagers; to increase (an asset, money, etc.) by gambling or investing in a daring manner; to convert (a situation, thing, etc.) into something better”).

Alternative forms

• parlay

Translations

See also

• parle

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “parley”, in Online Etymology Dictionary

Anagrams

• Player, Rapley, pearly, player, prelay, replay

English

Etymology

Originally nautical slang, from Portuguese palavra (“word”), from Late Latin parabola (“parable, speech”). The term's use (especially in Africa) mimics the evolution of the word moot. As such, for sense development, see moot. Doublet of parable, parole, and parabola.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /p??l??.v?(?)/
• Rhymes: -??v?(r)

Noun

palaver (countable and uncountable, plural palavers)

1. (Africa) A village council meeting.
2. Talk, especially unnecessary talk; chatter. [from 18th c.]
   • 1847, Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights, chapter III:

     Frances pulled his hair heartily, and then went and seated herself on her husband’s knee, and there they were, like two babies, kissing and talking nonsense by the hour—foolish palaver that we should be ashamed of.

   • 1886, Henry James, The Princess Casamassima.

     These remarks were received with a differing demonstration: some of the company declaring that if the Dutchman cared to come round and smoke a pipe they would be glad to see him—perhaps he'd show where the thumbscrews had been put on; others being strongly of the opinion that they didn't want any more advice—they had already had advice enough to turn a donkey's stomach. What they wanted was to put forth their might without any more palaver; to do something, or for some one; to go out somewhere and smash something, on the spot—why not?—that very night.

   • 1899, Stephen Crane, Active Service:

     Knowing full well the right time and the wrong time for a palaver of regret and disavowal, this battalion struggled in the desperation of despair.

   • 1985, Justin Richards, Option Lock, p 229:

     Not for the first time, he reflected that it was not so much the speeches that strained the nerves as the palaver that went with them.

3. Talk intended to deceive. [from 19th c.]
4. Fuss.

   What a palaver!

5. A meeting at which there is much talk; a debate; a moot.
   • 1851, Thomas Carlyle, The Life of John Sterling

     this country and epoch of parliaments and eloquent palavers

6. (informal) Disagreement.

   I have no palaver with him.

Synonyms

• (unnecessary talk): hot air, janglery; See also Thesaurus:chatter
• (fuss): ado, bother; See also Thesaurus:commotion

Descendants

• ? Danish: palaver
• ? Finnish: palaveri
• ? German: Palaver
• ? Hungarian: paláver

Translations

Verb

palaver (third-person singular simple present palavers, present participle palavering, simple past and past participle palavered)

1. (intransitive) To discuss with much talk.

   Synonyms: jabber, rabbit, yak; see also Thesaurus:prattle

   • 1860, Atlantic Monthly, vol. 5, no. 30 (April),

     “That,” he rejoined, “is a way we Americans have. We cannot stop to palaver. What would become of our manifest destiny?”

2. (transitive) To flatter.

References

• James A. H. Murray [et al.], editors (1884–1928) , “Palaver”, in A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles (Oxford English Dictionary), volume VII (O–P), London: Clarendon Press, OCLC 15566697, page 390, column 1.

Danish

Etymology

Borrowed from English palaver.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /palav?r/, [p?a?l?w??], [p?a?læ?w?]

Noun

palaver c (singular definite palaveren, plural indefinite palavere)

1. palaver

Inflection