Meaning

noun flattery intended to persuade

noun loud and confused and empty talk

verb speak (about unimportant matters) rapidly and incessantly

originOriginally nautical slang, from Portuguese palavra (“word”), from Late Latin parabola (“parable, speech”). The term's use (especially in Africa) mimics the evolution of the word moot. As such, for sense development, see moot. Doublet of parable, parole, and parabola.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0