noun
palaver
Palaver (noun) means a meeting of a village council.
noun
1
A meeting of a village council.
2
Talk that isn't really needed; chatter.
"Some of the palavers could take half a day."
— V. S. Naipaul, A Bend in the River (1979)
3
An activity, or a lot of fuss, that leaves you feeling worn out.
"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."
— Justin Richards, Option Lock (1985)
"We 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."
— , Life slows down’: the islander who swapped Shetland for living off-grid in a Norway forest (2021)
4
A meeting where people talk a great deal; a discussion or debate.
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Etymology
Originally nautical slang, coming from Portuguese palavra (“word”), from Late Latin parabola (“parable, speech”). Its use (especially in Africa) mirrors the way the word moot developed, so see moot for how the sense evolved. It is a doublet of parable, parole and parabola.
Synonyms
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Rhymes for palaver
See all rhymes for palaver →Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of palaver?
"palaver" (noun) means a meeting of a village council.
What is another word for palaver?
Other words for "palaver" include cajolery, rhetoric, blandishment.
What are the different meanings of palaver?
"palaver" has 3 main meanings: 1. A meeting of a village council; 2. Talk that isn't really needed; chatter; 3. An activity, or a lot of fuss, that leaves you feeling worn out.
