palaver \puh-LAV-er\ noun
1 a : a long parley usually between persons of different cultures or levels of sophistication b : conference, discussion
2 *a : idle talk b : misleading or beguiling speech
Example sentence: "Ask folks involved why they opted to make [the movie], and you're not going to get a lot of palaver about high art and noble intentions." (Joshua Rich, _Entertainment Weekly_, May 19, 2006)
Did you know? During the 18th century, Portuguese and English sailors often met during trading trips along the West African coast. This contact prompted the English to borrow the Portuguese "palavra," which usually means "speech" or "word" but was used by Portuguese traders with the specific meaning "discussions with natives." The Portuguese word traces back to the Late Latin "parabola," a noun meaning "speech" or "parable," which in turn comes from the Greek "parabole," meaning "juxtaposition" or "comparison."
2 comments:
I love that word!
LOL Does that appeal to the lawyer in you?
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