English
palaver
Palaver comes from Portuguese palavra ‘word’, from Ancient Greek παραβολή ‘a placing of two things side by side,…’, and ultimately from παραβάλλω ‘to throw beside, by or to, to hold out’.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπαραβάλλωparabállō‘to throw beside, by or to, to hold out’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEπαραβολήparabolḗ‘a placing of two things side by side, juxtaposition’
- Late Latinmodernparabola
- Old Galician-Portuguesec. 1100–1500paravla
- Old Galician-Portuguese, derivedc. 1100–1500palavra‘word’
- Portuguesec. 1500–presentsame form‘word’
- Englishearliest quotation 1799palaver
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπαραβάλλωparabállō‘to throw beside, by or to, to hold out’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEπαραβολήparabolḗ‘a placing of two things side by side, juxtaposition’
- Late Latinmodernparabola
- Old Galician-Portuguesec. 1100–1500paravla
- Old Galician-Portuguese, derivedc. 1100–1500palavra‘word’
- Portuguesec. 1500–presentsame form‘word’
- Englishearliest quotation 1799palaver
Earliest quotation: 1799, Mungo Park: “Here we remained four days, on account of a…”
A compound of πᾰρᾰ́ ‘from’ + παρα- + βάλλω ‘to throw, cast, hurl’
Proto-Indo-European *preh₂- ‘before, in front’
Proto-Hellenic *pərai ‘from’
Ancient Greek πᾰρᾰ́ ‘from’
Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH- ‘to throw, reach, pierce’
Proto-Hellenic *gʷəlnō
Ancient Greek βάλλω ‘to throw, cast, hurl’
The story
The term's use (especially in Africa) mimics the evolution of the word moot. As such, for sense development, see moot.
Linked words
through Ancient Greek παραβολή ‘a placing of two things side by side,…’
parliament, parole, parable, parabolic, parley, parabola, 4 more
Today it means
noun A village council meeting.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Ancient Greek παραβάλλω / palaver