Other forms: parleys
A parley is a talk between enemies to discuss terms. Call a parley, under a flag of parley, a parley at dawn.
It is protected by custom and by law: whoever goes out to talk must be allowed to return, and firing on them is a war crime. The word comes from the French for speaking, and parliament, parlour and parole are all from the same root.
1nounparleyA talk between enemies to discuss terms.
“The two generals met under a white flag for a parley.”
parley is a talk.
Old French parler means to speak, from Latin parabola, a comparison or speech. Parliament is a relative.
Latin
parabolō
Old French
parler — to talk; to speak
Middle English
parlai — speech, parley
English, today
parley
Built from
From Middle English parlai (“speech, parley”), from Old French parler (“to talk; to speak”), from Latin parabolō, from Latin parabola (“comparison”), from Ancient Greek παραβολή, from παρά (“beside”) with βολή (“throwing”). Doublet of palaver.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA