palaver en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /pəˈlɑː.və(ɹ)/ (UK)
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *per- Proto-Indo-European *preh₂- Proto-Hellenic *pərai Ancient Greek πᾰρᾰ́ (părắ) Ancient Greek παρα- (para-) Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH-der. Proto-Hellenic *gʷəlnō Ancient Greek βάλλω (bállō) Ancient Greek παραβάλλω (parabállō) Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Hellenic *-ā́ Ancient Greek -ᾱ (-ā) Ancient Greek -η (-ē) Ancient Greek παραβολή (parabolḗ)bor. Late Latin parabola Old Galician-Portuguese paravla Old Galician-Portuguese palavra Portuguese palavrabor. English palaver 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.
Meanings
-
(Africa, countable, uncountable) A village council meeting.
That night the village warriors held a big palaver to celebrate their victories, and to choose a new chief.
1913, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Return of Tarzan, New York: Ballantine Books, published 1963, page 148:Here we remained four days, on account of a palaver which was held on the following occasion.
1799, Mungo Park, Travels in the Interior of Africa:
-
(Canada, US, archaic, countable, in Britain, uncountable) Talk, especially unnecessary talk; chatter.
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.
1847, Emily Brontë, chapter III, in Wuthering Heights: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.
1899, Stephen Crane, Active Service: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.
1886, Henry James, The Princess Casamassima, London: Macmillan and Co.:Some of the palavers could take half a day.
1979, V. S. Naipaul, A Bend in the River:
-
(UK, countable, uncountable) Mentally draining activity, either physical or fuss.
What's the good of going through all this palaver of giving very small sums to very obscure charities?
1988, Lord Grimond, House of Lords vol 492 col 695We fill up the bathtub for a proper bath maybe once a month because it is such a palaver. We have a 150 litre pot and a 60 litre pot that we have to fill up and boil on the wood stove which takes hours.
2021 February 22, “Life slows down’: the islander who swapped Shetland for living off-grid in a Norway forest”, in Shetland News:What a palaver!
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.
1985, Justin Richards, Option Lock, page 229:
-
(countable, uncountable) A meeting at which there is much talk; a debate; a moot.
this country and epoch of parliaments and eloquent palavers
1851, Thomas Carlyle, The Life of John Sterling, London: Chapman and Hall, […], →OCLC:
-
(countable, informal, uncountable) Disagreement.
I have no palaver with him.
- (countable, uncountable) Talk intended to deceive.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| palavers | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
palaver sauce · palaverous · palaverment · palaver hut · palaverer · palaverist
Descendants
palaver · paláver · palaveri · Palaver · palaver
Synonyms
merry hell · hot air · flite · bawl out · stooshie · ding-dong · carry-on · prattle · brouhaha · furor · flutter · palaver · dustup · argy-bargy · debate · yap · chaos · tomfoolery · yatter · bobbery · unrest · fracas · quarrel · chatter · brawl · difference · palaver · pother · hoo-ha · hobbleshaw · ado · trouble · altercation · bibble-babble · contention · hubbub · fight · spat · waffle · disruption · controversy · bunfight · circus act · hoo-hah · bother · squabble · flap · tiff · turmoil · prate · ferment · blabbing · palaver · rigmarole · bobbery · scuttlebutt · conflict · disunion · argument · conflict · chit-chat · quarrel · hot air · disputation · rowdydow · threap · riddle me ree · three-ring circus · bavardage · babble · tangle · rumpus · clatter · argy-bargy · face-off · upstir · hullabaloo · shemozzle · commotion · blabber · clepe · ruckus · gabble · dispute · yackety-yak · bustle · doublespeak · mardle · ado · blathering · fuss · feud · hassle · tattle · clamour · claver · mayhem · clash · outcry · disturbance · blab · twaddle · natter · bangarang · chinwag · song and dance · splatterdash · palaver · kerfuffle · shindy · wrangle · bust-up · row · tumult · discordance · disagreement · uproar · blue · quarrel · stir · pandemonium · disharmony · to-do · double talk · dissonance · falling out · issue · riot · small talk · quibble · barney · blather · foofaraw · hurly-burly
Translations (32)
fi erimielisyys (disagreement) · fi palaveri (meeting with much talk) · fi sumutus (talk intended to deceive) · ga cabaireacht (unnecessary talk, chatter) · ru до́лгие перегово́ры (meeting with much talk) · fi turpakäräjät (unnecessary talk, chatter) · de Palaver (unnecessary talk, chatter) · pt paleio (unnecessary talk, chatter) · fi sählinki (mentally-draining activity) · da palaver (meeting with much talk) · fi ruljanssi (mentally-draining activity) · ru пра́здная болтовня́ (unnecessary talk, chatter) · pt palavreado (unnecessary talk, chatter) · fi pulina (unnecessary talk, chatter) · ga plámás (talk intended to deceive) · ga suainseán (unnecessary talk, chatter) · fi eripura (disagreement) · fi jäkätys (unnecessary talk, chatter) · fi sähläys (mentally-draining activity) · ru пу́стая болтовня́ (unnecessary talk, chatter) · fr palabres (unnecessary talk, chatter) · hu paláver (unnecessary talk, chatter) · bg празни приказки (unnecessary talk, chatter) · ru геморрой (mentally-draining activity) · fr palabre (meeting with much talk) · es parla (unnecessary talk, chatter) · it storie (unnecessary talk, chatter) · da palaver (unnecessary talk, chatter) · gl liorna (unnecessary talk, chatter) · fi kälätys (unnecessary talk, chatter) · sq pallavra (unnecessary talk, chatter) · de Palaver (meeting with much talk)