English
parley
Parley comes from Old French parler ‘to talk’, from Late Latin parabolō ‘to make clear by metaphors’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *preh₂- ‘before, in front’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*preh₂-1‘before, in front’uncertain
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*pərai1‘from’uncertain
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπαρά2pará‘beside’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπαραβολή2parabolḗ‘a placing of two things side by side, juxtaposition’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEparabola2‘comparison’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEparabolō2‘to make clear by metaphors’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400parler2‘to talk’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500parlai2‘speech, parley’
- Englishearliest quotation 1638parley2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek παρά
- 2 Wiktionary, English parley
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1638, Sir Thomas Herbert: “[...] at day break we found the villaine, who,…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*preh₂-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek παρά‘before, in front’uncertain
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*pəraiWiktionary, Ancient Greek παρά‘from’uncertain
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπαράWiktionary, English parleypará‘beside’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπαραβολήWiktionary, English parleyparabolḗ‘a placing of two things side by side, juxtaposition’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEparabolaWiktionary, English parley‘comparison’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEparabolōWiktionary, English parley‘to make clear by metaphors’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400parlerWiktionary, English parley‘to talk’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500parlaiWiktionary, English parley‘speech, parley’
- Englishearliest quotation 1638parleyWiktionary, English parley. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1638, Sir Thomas Herbert: “[...] at day break we found the villaine, who,…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *preh₂- ‘before, in front’
for, first, premier, prestigious, prairie, forbid, primer, preface, prefix, primate, primacy, precede, preeminent, prescient, portobello, impregnate, parasol, 17 more
through Ancient Greek παραβολή ‘a placing of two things side by side,…’
through Latin parabola ‘comparison’
parole, parable, parabola, 3 more
through Old French parler ‘to talk’
Today it means
noun A conference, especially one between enemies.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “parley”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Ancient Greek παρά. 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 *preh₂- / parley