palaver

• POS: Noun, Verb (intransitive), Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: pa=la=ver

CIDE DICTIONARY

palaver, n. [Sp. palabra, or Pg. palavra, fr. L. parabola a comparison, a parable, LL., a word. See Parable.].

•  Talk; conversation; esp., idle or beguiling talk; talk intended to deceive; flattery.  [1913 Webster]
•  In Africa, a parley with the natives; a talk; hence, a public conference and deliberation; a debate.  [1913 Webster]

  "This epoch of parliaments and eloquent palavers."  [1913 Webster]

palaver, v. t. & i. 

 To make palaver with, or to; to used palaver; to talk idly or deceitfully; to employ flattery; to cajole; as, to palaver artfully.  [1913 Webster]
"Palavering the little language for her benefit."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

palaver, n. & v.
--n.
1 fuss and bother, esp. prolonged and tedious.
2 profuse or idle talk.
3 cajolery.
4 colloq. an affair or business.
5 esp. hist. a parley between African or other natives and traders.
--v.
1 intr. talk profusely.
2 tr. flatter, wheedle.

Etymology

Port. palavra word f. L (as PARABLE)

THESAURUS

palaver

absurdity, accents, adulate, adulation, advise with, affair, amphigory, audience, babble, babblement, balderdash, bargain, bargaining, bargaining session, bavardage, beslobber, beslubber, bibble-babble, blab, blabber, blah-blah, blandish, blandishment, blarney, blather, blether, blethers, bombast, bother, bull session, bunkum, business, cackle, cajole, cajolement, cajolery, call in, cant, caquet, caqueterie, chat, chatter, chinfest, chitter-chatter, clack, claptrap, clatter, collogue, colloquium, colloquy, comment, compare notes, compliment, conceit, concern, conclave, confab, confabulate, confabulation, confer, confer with, conference, confrontation, congress, consult, consult with, consultation, convention, conversation, converse, council, council fire, council of war, counsel, deliberate, dialogue, dictionary, discourse, discuss, discuss with, discussion, dither, double-talk, drivel, drool, duologue, elocution, exchange observations, exchange of views, exchange views, eyeball-to-eyeball encounter, eyewash, fair words, fawn upon, fawning, fiddle-faddle, fiddledeedee, flatter, flattery, flummery, folderol, fudge, fustian, gab, gabble, galimatias, gammon, gas, get together, get-together, gibber, gibberish, gibble-gabble, go on, gobbledygook, gossip, grease, guff, gush, have conversations, haver, high-level talk, hocus-pocus, hold conference, honeyed phrases, honeyed words, hot air, huddle, humbug, idle talk, incense, interchange of views, interview, jabber, jargon, jaw, jawing, language, lexicon, lookout, make fair weather, meet, meeting, mere talk, mumbo jumbo, narrishkeit, natter, negotiate, negotiations, news conference, niaiserie, nonsense, nonsense talk, nuisance, occasions, oil, oil the tongue, oral communication, pack of nonsense, palavering, parley, parole, patter, performance, pour forth, pourparler, powwow, praise, prate, prating, prattle, prattling, press conference, pretty lies, prittle-prattle, procedure, put heads together, question-and-answer session, ramble on, rant, rap session, rapping, rattle, rattle on, reason with, red tape, reel off, refer to, rigamarole, rigmarole, rodomontade, round table, rubbish, run on, seance, seminar, session, shoot the breeze, sit down together, sit down with, sitting, skimble-skamble, slobber over, small talk, soap, soft soap, song and dance, speaking, speech, spout, spout off, stuff and nonsense, stultiloquence, summit, summit conference, summitry, sweet nothings, sweet talk, sweet words, sycophancy, take counsel, take up with, talk, talk away, talk nonsense, talk on, talk over, talkee-talkee, talkfest, talking, tittle-tattle, to-do, trash, trialogue, trumpery, twaddle, twattle, twiddle-twaddle, vaporing, vocabulary, waffle, waffling, wheedle, wheedling, words, yak, yakkety-yak, yakking

ROGET THESAURUS

palaver

Speech

N speech, faculty of speech, locution, talk, parlance, verbal intercourse, prolation, oral communication, word of mouth, parole, palaver, prattle, effusion, oration, recitation, delivery, say, speech, lecture, harangue, sermon, tirade, formal speech, peroration, speechifying, soliloquy, allocution, conversation, salutatory : screed: valedictory, oratory, elocution, eloquence, rhetoric, declamation, grandiloquence, multiloquence, burst of eloquence, facundity, flow of words, command of words, command of language, copia verborum, power of speech, gift of the gab, usus loquendi, speaker, spokesman, prolocutor, interlocutor, mouthpiece, Hermes, orator, oratrix, oratress, Demosthenes, Cicero, rhetorician, stump orator, platform orator, speechmaker, patterer, improvisatore, speaking, spoken, oral, lingual, phonetic, not written, unwritten, outspoken, eloquent, elocutionary, oratorical, rhetorical, declamatory, grandiloquent, talkative, Ciceronian, nuncupative, Tullian, orally, by word of mouth, viva voce, from the lips of, quoth he, said he, action is eloquence, pour the full tide of eloquence along, she speaks poignards and every word stabs, speech is but broken light upon the depth of the u, to try thy eloquence now 'tis time.

Loquacity

VB be loquacious, talk glibly, pour forth, patter, prate, palaver, prose, chatter, prattle, clack, jabber, jaw, blather, blatter, blether, rattle, rattle on, twaddle, twattle, babble, gabble, outtalk, talk oneself out of breath, talk oneself hoarse, expatiate, gossip, din in the ears, talk at random, talk nonsense, be hoarse with talking.

Conversation

N conversation, interlocution, collocution, colloquy, converse, confabulation, talk, discourse, verbal intercourse, oral communication, commerce, dialogue, duologue, trialogue, causerie, chat, chitchat, small talk, table talk, teatable talk, town talk, village talk, idle talk, tattle, gossip, tittle-tattle, babble, babblement, tripotage, cackle, prittle-prattle, cancan, on dit, talk of the town, talk of the village, conference, parley, interview, audience, pourparler, tete-a-tete, reception, conversazione, congress, powwow, hall of audience, durbar, palaver, debate, logomachy, war of words, gossip, tattler, Paul Pry, tabby, chatterer, interlocutor, conversationist, dialogist, the feast of reason and the flow of soul, mollia tempora fandi, conversing, interlocutory, conversational, conversable, discursive, discoursive, chatty, colloquial, with thee conversing I forget all time.

VB talk together, converse, confabulate, hold on a conversation, carry on a conversation, join in a conversation, engage in a conversation, put in a word, shine in conversation, bandy words, parley, palaver, chat, gossip, tattle, prate, powwow, discourse with, confer with, commune with, commerce with, hold converse, hold conference, hold intercourse, talk it over, be closeted with, talk with one in private, tete-a-tete.

Council

N council, committee, subcommittee, comitia, court, chamber, cabinet, board, bench, staff, senate, senatus, parliament, chamber of deputies, directory, reichsrath, rigsdag, cortes, storthing, witenagemote, junta, divan, musnud, sanhedrim, classis, Amphictyonic council, duma, house of representatives, legislative assembly, legislative council, riksdag, volksraad, witan, caput, consistory, chapter, syndicate, court of appeal, board of control, board of works, vestry, county council, local board, audience chamber, council chamber, state chamber, cabinet council, privy council, cockpit, convocation, synod, congress, convention, diet, states-general, assembly, caucus, conclave, clique, conventicle, meeting, sitting, seance, conference, convention, exhibition, session, palaver, pourparler, durbar, house, quorum, council fire, powwow, primary, meeting, assemblage, member, senator, member of parliament, M, P, councilor, representative of the people, assemblyman, congressman, councilman, councilwoman, alderman, freeholder, senatorial, curule, congressional, parliamentary, legislative, law-making, regulatory, deliberative.

Unmeaningness

N meaninglessness, unmeaningness, scrabble, empty sound, dead letter, vox et praeterea nihil, a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing, sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal, nonsense, utter nonsense, gibberish, jargon, jabber, mere words, hocus-pocus, fustian, rant, bombast, balderdash, palaver, flummery, verbiage, babble, baverdage, baragouin, platitude, niaiserie, inanity, flap-doodle, rigmarole, rodomontade, truism, nugae canorae, twaddle, twattle, fudge, trash, garbage, humbug, poppy-cock, stuff, stuff and nonsense, bosh, rubbish, moonshine, wish-wash, fiddle- faddle, absurdity, vagueness, boilerplate, clich_¬, unmeaning, meaningless, senseless, nonsensical, void of sense, inexpressive, unexpressive, vacant, not significant, insignificant, trashy, washy, trumpery, trivial, fiddle-faddle, twaddling, quibbling, unmeant, not expressed, tacit, inexpressible, undefinable, incommunicable.