Parole

How to spell parole

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce parole

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does parole mean?

1. nounThe conditional release of a prisoner before the full sentence is served, granted on the promise of good behaviour.
2. verbTo release a prisoner conditionally before the end of their sentence.

Parole in a sentence

• noun

  He was granted parole after serving half of his sentence.

• verb

  The authorities agreed to parole the inmate on medical grounds.

• noun

  The board denied her parole for a second time this year.

• verb

  Officials may parole a prisoner who shows genuine reform.

Where does parole come from?

Language of origin: French

Parole came into English in the 1600s from the French word 'parole', meaning literally 'word' or 'speech'. The French term descends from the Late Latin 'parabola', which meant a comparison or a piece of speech, and that in turn was borrowed from the Greek 'parabole', meaning 'a placing side by side' or 'comparison' (from 'para', beside, and 'ballein', to throw). The legal sense grew out of the military phrase 'parole d'honneur', the 'word of honour' that a captured prisoner gave when promising not to escape or to keep agreed terms. Over time the idea narrowed to the conditional early release of a prisoner on the promise of good behaviour. The same Latin 'parabola' root also gave English the words 'parable' and even 'palaver', so parole sits in a surprisingly talkative family. Remembering that parole began as simply giving your 'word' helps fix the single 'l' and the silent-feeling final 'e'.

How the word is built

• parol- (from French parole: word, spoken promise)
• -e