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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

parole.

Originally, one's oath or word of honour, given as a condition of release from custody; now specifically, describing the release of a former prisoner under certain conditions, especially the promise of good behaviour.

6 characters3 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/pəˈɹəʊl/Received-Pronunciation[p(ʰ)əˈɹəʊɫ]Received-Pronunciation/pəˈɹoʊl/Canada, General-American[pʰəˈɹʷoʊɫ]Canada, General-American
  1. Originally, one's oath or word of honour, given as a condition of release from custody; now specifically, describing the release of a former prisoner under certain conditions, especially the promise of good behaviour.

    uncountable · usually · with-on
    He will be on parole for nearly two more years.
    He was released on parole.
  2. Conditional release of a prisoner (now especially before the end of a custodial sentence), or the term or state of such release; the system governing such releases.

    uncountable · usually
  3. A word of honor, especially given by a prisoner of war, to not engage in combat if released.

    historical · uncountable · usually
  4. A watchword or code phrase; (military) a password given only to officers, distinguished from the countersign, which is given to all guards.

    archaic · uncountable · usually
  5. Language in use, as opposed to language as a system.

    uncountable · usually
  6. The permission for a foreigner who does not meet the technical requirements for a visa to be allowed to enter the U.S. on humanitarian grounds.

    US · uncountable · usually
  7. Alternative form of parol.

    alt-of · alternative · uncountable · usually
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *per- Proto-Indo-European *preh₂- Proto-Hellenic *pərai Ancient Greek πᾰρᾰ́ (părắ) Ancient Greek παρα- (para-) Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH-der. Proto-Hellenic *gʷəlnō Ancient Greek βάλλω (bállō) Ancient Greek παραβάλλω (parabállō) Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Hellenic *-ā́ Ancient Greek -ᾱ (-ā) Ancient Greek -η (-ē) Ancient Greek παραβολή (parabolḗ)bor. Latin parabola Vulgar Latin *paraula Old French parole Middle French parolebor. English parole Borrowed from Middle French parole (“word, formal promise”), from Old French parole, from Late Latin parabola (“speech”), from Ancient Greek παραβολή (parabolḗ). Doublet of parabola, parable, and palaver.

verb/pəˈɹəʊl/Received-Pronunciation[p(ʰ)əˈɹəʊɫ]Received-Pronunciation/pəˈɹoʊl/Canada, General-American[pʰəˈɹʷoʊɫ]Canada, General-American
  1. To release (a prisoner) on the understanding that s/he checks in regularly and obeys the law.

    transitive
  2. To be released on parole.

    intransitive
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *per- Proto-Indo-European *preh₂- Proto-Hellenic *pərai Ancient Greek πᾰρᾰ́ (părắ) Ancient Greek παρα- (para-) Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH-der. Proto-Hellenic *gʷəlnō Ancient Greek βάλλω (bállō) Ancient Greek παραβάλλω (parabállō) Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Hellenic *-ā́ Ancient Greek -ᾱ (-ā) Ancient Greek -η (-ē) Ancient Greek παραβολή (parabolḗ)bor. Latin parabola Vulgar Latin *paraula Old French parole Middle French parolebor. English parole Borrowed from Middle French parole (“word, formal promise”), from Old French parole, from Late Latin parabola (“speech”), from Ancient Greek παραβολή (parabolḗ). Doublet of parabola, parable, and palaver.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.