palaver

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pa·lav·er

(pə-lăv′ər, -lä′vər)

a. Idle chatter.

b. Talk intended to charm or beguile.

2. A negotiation or discussion concerning matters in dispute, especially in the traditional cultures of West Africa.

v. pa·lav·ered, pa·lav·er·ing, pa·lav·ers

v.intr.

To talk idly or at length.

v.tr.

Archaic To flatter or cajole.

[Portuguese palavra, speech, alteration of Late Latin parabola, speech, parable; see parable.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

palaver

(pəˈlɑːvə)

1. tedious or time-consuming business, esp when of a formal nature: all the palaver of filling in forms.

2. loud and confused talk and activity; hubbub

3. (often used humorously) a conference

4. rare talk intended to flatter or persuade

a. an argument

b. trouble arising from an argument

6. (intr) (often used humorously) to have a conference

7. (intr) to talk loudly and confusedly

8. (tr) to flatter or cajole

[C18: from Portuguese palavra talk, from Latin parabola parable]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

pa•lav•er

(pəˈlæv ər, -ˈlɑ vər)

n.

1. profuse and idle talk; chatter.

2. persuasive talk; flattery; cajolery.

3. a conference or discussion, orig. one between European traders, explorers, etc., and people indigenous to a region, esp. in Africa.

v.i.

4. to talk profusely and idly.

5. to confer.

v.t.

6. to cajole or persuade.

[1720–30; < Portuguese palavra word, speech, talk < Late Latin parabola parable]

pa•lav′er•er, n.

palaver

Past participle: palavered
Gerund: palavering

Imperative
palaver
palaver

Present
I palaver
you palaver
he/she/it palavers
we palaver
you palaver
they palaver

Preterite
I palavered
you palavered
he/she/it palavered
we palavered
you palavered
they palavered

Present Continuous
I am palavering
you are palavering
he/she/it is palavering
we are palavering
you are palavering
they are palavering

Present Perfect
I have palavered
you have palavered
he/she/it has palavered
we have palavered
you have palavered
they have palavered

Past Continuous
I was palavering
you were palavering
he/she/it was palavering
we were palavering
you were palavering
they were palavering

Past Perfect
I had palavered
you had palavered
he/she/it had palavered
we had palavered
you had palavered
they had palavered

Future
I will palaver
you will palaver
he/she/it will palaver
we will palaver
you will palaver
they will palaver

Future Perfect
I will have palavered
you will have palavered
he/she/it will have palavered
we will have palavered
you will have palavered
they will have palavered

Future Continuous
I will be palavering
you will be palavering
he/she/it will be palavering
we will be palavering
you will be palavering
they will be palavering

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been palavering
you have been palavering
he/she/it has been palavering
we have been palavering
you have been palavering
they have been palavering

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been palavering
you will have been palavering
he/she/it will have been palavering
we will have been palavering
you will have been palavering
they will have been palavering

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been palavering
you had been palavering
he/she/it had been palavering
we had been palavering
you had been palavering
they had been palavering

Conditional
I would palaver
you would palaver
he/she/it would palaver
we would palaver
you would palaver
they would palaver

Past Conditional
I would have palavered
you would have palavered
he/she/it would have palavered
we would have palavered
you would have palavered
they would have palavered

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	palaver - flattery intended to persuade blandishment, cajolery flattery - excessive or insincere praise
	2.	palaver - loud and confused and empty talk; "mere rhetoric" empty talk, empty words, hot air, rhetoric hokum, meaninglessness, nonsense, nonsensicality, bunk - a message that seems to convey no meaning
Verb	1.	palaver - speak (about unimportant matters) rapidly and incessantly blabber, piffle, prate, prattle, tattle, tittle-tattle, twaddle, gabble, gibber, blab, clack, maunder, chatter mouth, speak, talk, verbalise, verbalize, utter - express in speech; "She talks a lot of nonsense"; "This depressed patient does not verbalize" blather, blether, blither, smatter, babble - to talk foolishly; "The two women babbled and crooned at the baby"
	2.	palaver - influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering; "He palavered her into going along" blarney, cajole, coax, inveigle, sweet-talk, wheedle persuade - cause somebody to adopt a certain position, belief, or course of action; twist somebody's arm; "You can't persuade me to buy this ugly vase!" soft-soap - persuade someone through flattery browbeat, bully, swagger - discourage or frighten with threats or a domineering manner; intimidate
	3.	palaver - have a lengthy discussion, usually between people of different backgrounds parley - discuss, as between enemies

palaver

noun

1. fuss, business (informal), to-do, performance (informal), procedure, carry-on (informal, chiefly Brit.), pantomime (informal, chiefly Brit.), song and dance (Brit. informal), rigmarole We had to go through the whole palaver of changing our flight.

2. prattle, chatter, babble, yak (slang), hubbub, natter (Brit.), tongue-wagging, blather, blether I had to listen to a lot of palaver about political correctness.

3. conference, session, discussion, get-together (informal), parley, powwow, colloquy, confab (informal) Have you two finished your little palaver?

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

palaver

noun

Incessant and usually inconsequential talk:

babble, blab, blabber, chat, chatter, chitchat, jabber, prate, prattle, small talk.

Slang: gab, gas, yak.

verb

To talk volubly, persistently, and usually inconsequentially:

babble, blabber, chatter, chitchat, clack, jabber, prate, prattle, rattle (on), run on.

Informal: go on, spiel.

Slang: gab, gas, jaw, yak.

Idioms: run off at the mouth, shoot the breeze.

Translations

Unterhaltung

ciance conversazione discussione

palaver

[pəˈlɑːvəʳ]

A. N

1. (= fuss) → jaleo m, desmadre m; (= trouble) → molestias fpl, trámites mpl engorrosos (US) (= chatter) → palabrería f
what a palaver! → ¡qué jaleo!
why all the palaver! → ¡no es para tanto!
that palaver about the car → aquel jaleo que se armó con el coche
can't we do it without a lot of palaver? → ¿no podemos hacerlo sin meternos en tantos líos?

2. (= conference) → conferencia f, parlamento m

B. VI → parlamentar

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

palaver

[pəˈlɑːvə^r] n (= fuss) → histoire f
What a palaver! → Quelle histoire!

palaver

n (inf)

(= fuss and bother) → Umstand m, → Theater nt (inf)

(= conference) → Palaver nt

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

palaver

[pəˈlɑːvəʳ] n (fam) (fuss) → storie fpl; (talk) → tiritera

Mentioned in ?

References in classic literature ?

Then she would pounce upon me with a lot of that drivelling poodle palaver and kiss me on the nose--but what could I do?

View in context

'That's the way to go to work--right to the end at once, and no palaver.'

View in context

The chief was among the first to return to the village, and as it was he that Tarzan was most anxious to interview, he lost no time in entering into a palaver with the black.

View in context

At their approach the villagers came pouring out, and Usanga advanced with two of his warriors to palaver with the chief.

View in context

Master Pedro did not care to engage in any more palaver with Don Quixote, whom he knew right well; so he rose before the sun, and having got together the remains of his show and caught his ape, he too went off to seek his adventures.

View in context

Poyser might sit down if he liked, she thought; she wasn't going to sit down, as if she'd give in to any such smooth-tongued palaver. Mr.

View in context

That night the village warriors held a big palaver to celebrate their victories, and to choose a new chief.

View in context

Frances darling, pull his hair as you go by: I heard him snap his fingers." 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.

View in context

It would seem as if the very language of our parlors would lose all its nerve and degenerate into palaver wholly, our lives pass at such remoteness from its symbols, and its metaphors and tropes are necessarily so far fetched, through slides and dumb-waiters, as it were; in other words, the parlor is so far from the kitchen and workshop.

View in context

"He was really surprised, but after some palaver he let me in together with the two loafers carrying my luggage.

View in context

Bring out your vouchers, and don't talk Jerusalem palaver.'

View in context

Here they were attacked by the bow-and-arrow men, whom they could not persuade to palaver with them.