Link Centre Dictionary

palaver

pa·la·ver

UK/pəˈlɑː.və(ɹ)/ uncommon archaic informal uk us
noun (2) verb (3)

noun

1.
2.

loud and confused and empty talk

  • “mere rhetoric”
Synonyms

verb

1.
2.

influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering

  • “He palavered her into going along”
Synonyms
3.

Origin

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.

Phrases

  • palaver hut
  • palaver sauce

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.