palaver
noun/pəˈlɑːvə(r)/
/pəˈlɑːvər/, /pəˈlævər/
(informal)- [uncountable, singular] (British English) a lot of unnecessary activity, excitement or trouble, especially caused by something that is not important synonym fuss
- What's all the palaver about?
- What a palaver it is, trying to get a new visa!
- [uncountable] (North American English) talk that does not have any meaning synonym nonsense
- He's talking palaver.
Word Originmid 18th cent. (in the sense ‘a talk between tribespeople and traders’): from Portuguese palavra ‘word’, from Latin parabola ‘comparison’, from Greek parabolē ‘placing side by side, application’, from para- ‘beside’ + bolē ‘a throw’ (from the verb ballein).
Check pronunciation:
palaver