palaver
pronunciation
How to pronounce palaver in British English:
UK [pəˈlɑ:və(r)]
How to pronounce palaver in American English:
US [pəˈlævɚ, -ˈlɑvɚ]
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- Noun:
- flattery intended to persuade
- loud and confused and empty talk
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- Verb:
- speak (about unimportant matters) rapidly and incessantly
- influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
- have a lengthy discussion, usually between people of different backgrounds
Word Origin
- palaver
- palaver: [18] Palaver originated as a piece of naval slang picked up by English sailors in Africa. There they came across Portuguese traders negotiating with the local inhabitants, a process known in Portuguese as palavra ‘speech’ (a descendant of Latin parabola, source of English parable). They took the Portugese word over as palaver, applying it first to ‘negotiations’, and then by extension to ‘idle chatter’.=> parable
- palaver (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.
Example
- 1. We don \'t want all that palaver , do we ?
- 2. With all the palaver these days about personal branding and blowing your own horn as essential career survival skills , it \' s easy to see why this situation would make you uneasy .
- 3. What a palaver there was about paying the bill !
- 4. What a palaver there was about paying the bill !
- 5. Even so , the equipment-makers argue that , though doable , all this sensing palaver makes white-space devices needlessly complicated and expensive .