palaver [puh -lav -er, ‐lah -ver]
Word Origin
See more synonyms for palaver on Thesaurus.com a conference or discussion. a long parley, especially one between primitive natives and European traders, explorers, colonial officials, etc. profuse and idle talk; chatter. persuasive talk; flattery; cajolery. Show More
verb (used without object), pa·lav·ered, pa·lav·er·ing. to talk profusely and idly. to parley or confer. Show More
verb (used with object), pa·lav·ered, pa·lav·er·ing. to cajole or persuade. Show More
Origin of palaver 1720–30; <
Portuguese palavra word, speech, talk <
Late Latin parabola parable Related forms pa·lav·er·er , pa·lav·er·ist , noun pa·lav·er·ment , noun pa·lav·er·ous , adjective Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words for palaverous chatty ,
loquacious ,
rambling ,
superfluous ,
unnecessary ,
lengthy ,
long-winded ,
turgid ,
meandering ,
loose ,
long ,
lavish ,
dull ,
waffling ,
bombastic ,
gabby ,
garrulous ,
prolix ,
talkative ,
verbose British Dictionary definitions for palaverous tedious or time-consuming business, esp when of a formal nature all the palaver of filling in forms loud and confused talk and activity; hubbub (often used humorously) a conference rare talk intended to flatter or persuade Western African an argument trouble arising from an argument Show More
(intr) (often used humorously) to have a conference (intr) to talk loudly and confusedly (tr) to flatter or cajole Show More
Word Origin for palaver C18: from Portuguese palavra talk, from Latin parabola parable
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for palaverous n. 1733 (implied in palavering ), "talk, conference, discussion," sailors' slang, from Portuguese palavra "word, speech, talk," traders' term for "negotiating with the natives" in West Africa, metathesis of Late Latin parabola "speech, discourse," from Latin parabola "comparison" (see parable ). Meaning "idle talk" first recorded 1748. The verb is 1733, from the noun. Related: Palavering .
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
