Where does the Word 'palaver' originate from, as in "What a palaver" ?

Question

Is it from Cockney Rhyming Slang?

Answer 1

Palaver-definition: 1.A conference or discussion.
2.A long parley, esp. one between primitive natives and European traders, explorers, colonial officials, etc.
3.Profuse and idle talk; chatter.
4.Persuasive talk; flattery; cajolery.
5.To talk profusely and idly.
6.To parley or confer.
7.To cajole or persuade
8.Portuguese palavra, speech, alteration of Late Latin parabola, speech, parable.

Answer 2

Palaver Definition

Answer 3

I don t believe any of the above definitions are correct. It is commonly used especially in London to mean a fuss, usually over something meaningless. For example if a child has a tantrum, you could say what a palaver, its only a packet of sweets!

Answer 4

The word lesbian comes from the Greek Island of Lesbos, (as others have stated) where the poet Sappho lived in 600 B.C. Sappho was an intellectual and poet who wrote many love poems to other women. Although much of her poetry has been destroyed by religious fundamentalists, (big surprise) the few poems of Sappho that remain speak clearly to her love and infatuation with women. It is unclear when the word "lesbian" was first used to describe women who love other women, but the first usage can be traced back to the 1800s. It came into popular use in the lesbian feminist era of the 1960s and 1970s.

Answer 5

i'm not sure of the origin which is in fact what you want to know,as a student in UK i was fascinated by the sound of the word & the expression on the face of the person who exclaimed "what a palaver !" haven't heard it being used in india & haven't used it myself because i am sure no one would understand'

Answer 6

I'm not completely sure, but I believe that this word is a corruption of the word(s) 'parlez vous', the french word meaning 'to speak'. It is believed by some that this word originated on the American frontier in the late 18th or early 19th century as did many other words such as 'hoosegow', which, as you know, means jail. Hope this helps.
John P

Answer 7

what does palaver mean??

Answer 8

never heard of it before