1610s, "word of honor," especially "promise by a prisoner of war not to escape if allowed to go about at liberty, or not to take up arms again if allowed to return home," from French parole "word, speech" (in parole d'honneur "word of honor") from Vulgar Latin *paraula "speech, discourse," from Latin parabola "comparison," from Greek parabole "a comparison, parable," literally "a throwing beside," hence "a juxtaposition" (see parable).

The sense of "conditional release of a prisoner before full term" is attested by 1908 in criminal slang. An earlier term for a similar thing was ticket of leave.

1716, from parole (n.). Originally it was what the prisoner did ("pledge"), but this sense is obsolete; its transitive meaning "put on parole, allow to go at liberty on parole" is attested by 1782. Meaning "release (a prisoner) on his own recognizance" is by 1888. Related: Paroled; paroling.

"oral statement, something said or spoken," late 15c., from Anglo-French (14c.), from Old French parole "word, speech, argument" (see parole (n.)). As an adjective, "verbal, oral," from c. 1600.

1701, parloi, a term in the card game faro involving applying money won to a continuing bet, from French paroli, from Italian parole (Neapolitan paroli) "words, promises," plural of parolo (see parole (n.)). Verbal meaning "exploit to advantage" is by 1942.

"one who has been released on parole," 1908, from parole (v.) + -ee.

1733 (implied in palavering), "a long talk, a conference, a tedious discussion," sailors' slang, from Portuguese palavra "word, speech, talk," from a metathesis of Late Latin parabola "speech, discourse," from Latin parabola "comparison" (see parable). A doublet of parole.

In West Africa the Portuguese word became a traders' term for "negotiating with the natives," and apparently English picked up the word there. (The Spanish cognate, palabra, appears 16c.-17c. in Spanish phrases used in English.) The meaning "idle profuse talk" is recorded by 1748. The verb, "indulge in palaver," is by 1733, from the noun. Related: Palavering.

*gwelə-, also *gwel-, Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to throw, reach," with extended sense "to pierce."

It might form all or part of: anabolic; arbalest; astrobleme; ball (n.2) "dancing party;" ballad; ballet; ballista; ballistic; ballistics; belemnite; catabolism; devil; diabolical; discobolus; emblem; embolism; hyperbola; hyperbole; kill (v.); metabolism; palaver; parable; parabola; parley; parliament; parlor; parol; parole; problem; quell; quail (v.) "lose heart, shrink, cower;" symbol.

It might also be the source of: Sanskrit apa-gurya "swinging," balbaliti "whirls, twirls;" Greek ballein "to throw, to throw so as to hit," also in a looser sense, "to put, place, lay," bole "a throw, beam, ray," belemnon "dart, javelin," belone "needle," ballizein "to dance;" Armenian kelem "I torture;" Old Church Slavonic zali "pain;" Lithuanian galas "end," gėla "agony," gelti "to sting."