English
palabra
Palabra comes from Spanish palabra ‘word’, from Latin parabola ‘comparison’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH- ‘to hit by throwing’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷelH-1‘to hit by throwing’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷl̥-ne-h₁-1reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*gʷəlnō1reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEβάλλω2‘to throw’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπαραβάλλω3‘to set side by side’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπαραβολή4‘comparison’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEparabola4‘comparison’
- Old Spanishc. 950–1500parabla4‘word’
- Spanishc. 1500–presentpalabra5‘word’
- Englishearliest quotation 1598–1599palabra5
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek βάλλω
- 2 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek παραβάλλω
- 3 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek παραβολή
- 4 Wiktionary, Spanish palabra
- 5 Wiktionary, English palabra
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1598–1599, Much Adoe about Nothing: “Comparisons are odorous: palabras, neighbor Verges.”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷelH-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek βάλλω‘to hit by throwing’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷl̥-ne-h₁-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek βάλλωreconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*gʷəlnōWiktionary, Ancient Greek βάλλωreconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEβάλλωWiktionary, Ancient Greek παραβάλλω‘to throw’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπαραβάλλωWiktionary, Ancient Greek παραβολή‘to set side by side’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπαραβολήWiktionary, Spanish palabra‘comparison’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEparabolaWiktionary, Spanish palabra‘comparison’
- Old Spanishc. 950–1500parablaWiktionary, Spanish palabra‘word’
- Spanishc. 1500–presentpalabraWiktionary, English palabra‘word’
- Englishearliest quotation 1598–1599palabraWiktionary, English palabra. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1598–1599, Much Adoe about Nothing: “Comparisons are odorous: palabras, neighbor Verges.”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH- ‘to hit by throwing’
ball, quail, quill, quell, obelisk, pul, 63 more
through Proto-Hellenic *gʷəlnō
symbolic, ballistic, symbolist, ballista, 34 more
through Ancient Greek βάλλω ‘to throw’
problem, symbol, devil, emblem, metabolic, hyperbolic, embolism, anabolic, metabolize, hyperbola, 33 more
through Ancient Greek παραβολή ‘comparison’
through Latin parabola ‘comparison’
Today it means
noun A word; idle talk.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “palabra”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Ancient Greek βάλλω, Ancient Greek παραβάλλω, Ancient Greek παραβολή, Spanish palabra. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH- / palabra