parole

C2+ Topic:General Vocabulary

US /pəˈroʊl/ UK /pəˈrəʊl/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
early conditional release of a prisoner before a sentence ends

After ten years he was granted parole for good behavior.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · early conditional release... release probation liberation discharge

Opposites

imprisonment detention incarceration

Word family

Derived forms parolee

Related forms parlance parley

Simplified etymology

Parole entered English in late Middle English and ultimately traces to Latin parabola, “speech” or “discourse.” The Latin word came from Greek parabolē, literally a “placing side by side” and hence a comparison.

Etymology

From French parole 'word, formal promise' (as in parole d'honneur, 'word of honor'), from Late Latin parabola 'speech, discourse', from Greek parabolē 'comparison'. A prisoner was released on giving his word.

parole French parabola la-lat parabolḗ Ancient Greek

View etymology graph ->

Topics

General Vocabulary

External links

# parole

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /pəˈroʊl/
**IPA (UK):** /pəˈrəʊl/

## Meanings
1. early conditional release of a prisoner before a sentence ends

## Examples
- After ten years he was granted parole for good behavior.

## Synonyms
- release
- probation
- liberation
- discharge

## Antonyms
- imprisonment
- detention
- incarceration

## Derived Forms
- parolee

## Related Forms
- parlance
- parley

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: parole
- Root: parabola
- Root: parabolḗ

## Etymology
From French parole 'word, formal promise' (as in parole d'honneur, 'word of honor'), from Late Latin parabola 'speech, discourse', from Greek parabolē 'comparison'. A prisoner was released on giving his word.

## AI Etymology
Parole comes from French parole 'word, formal promise' (as in parole d'honneur, 'word of honor'), from Late Latin parabola 'speech, discourse', from Greek parabolē 'comparison'. A prisoner was released on giving his word. The form is best read as a historical transfer or inheritance, with its older language material carrying the main semantic load. As a noun and verb, it carries the sense "early conditional release of a prisoner before a sentence ends", with the older formation still helping explain the modern use. Relevant historical forms include French parole, Latin parabola, and Ancient Greek parabolḗ. Derivative forms include parolee; related words include parlance, parley.

## Topics
- General Vocabulary

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