parole

Etymology

It is borrowed from French parole (“word, speech; formal promise”),^[2][3][4][5] in the sense of parole d’honneur (“word of honour”);^[3][6][7] in Old French the word is recorded from the 12th century,^[2] and in Anglo-Norman it already meant a promise or verbal oath as well as speech.^[8] The French word continues Vulgar Latin *paraula (“speech, discourse”),^{[3][9][10][5]} from Late Latin parabola (“speech, discourse”),^[4][11][12] in Latin parabola (“comparison, parable”),^[3][11] from Ancient Greek παραβολή (parabolḗ, “a comparison, parable; literally, a throwing beside”).^[3][10][7] It is therefore a doublet of parable, palaver and parabola.^[11][12][7] The OED compares prisonnier sur parole, recorded from 1694 or earlier, and prisonniers pour la parole, recorded in 1560, for the use about the release of prisoners.^[2] The Shorter Oxford records an earlier parole from the late 15th century, a variant of the legal term parol,^[13] and the Oxford Dictionary of English dates the word to the late 15th century.^[14]

Earliest recorded meaning

On parole, on one's word of honour or by oath, and especially of a prisoner released on his word: 1646, in Martin Lluelyn's Men-miracles ("Lesse on Parole to get Exchange").^[2] Barnhart dates the word of honour given by a prisoner of war not to escape to before 1616, Etymonline to the 1610s, and Merriam-Webster gives 1531.^[11][3][4]

Semantic evolution

In early use parole was a military matter: the promise of a prisoner of war not to escape, or not to take up arms again if allowed to go home.^[3][2] The phrase parole of honour is recorded from 1648.^[2] Johnson (1755) defined it as a word given as an assurance, a promise given by a prisoner not to go away.^[15] A second military sense, a password used only by officers or inspectors of the guard, is recorded from 1731, in Henry Fielding.^[2][5] The conditional release of a prisoner, now especially before the end of a sentence on condition of good behaviour, is recorded by the OED from 1667,^[2] while Etymonline and Barnhart date the sense in criminal justice to 1908;^[3][11] Etymonline notes that ticket of leave was an earlier term for a similar thing.^[3] The verb first meant to give one's word (1664–1716, now obsolete), and to release a prisoner on parole from 1652, chiefly in the United States.^[2] Etymonline and Barnhart date the verb to 1716,^[3][11] and Merriam-Webster the sense "to release on parole" to 1776.^[4] In linguistics, parole was taken from Ferdinand de Saussure's French for actual speech as opposed to the language system, langue, and is recorded in English from 1935.^[2] In 1960s American teenage slang parole was the end of the school day.^[16]

Timeline

• 1531 – Merriam-Webster's first date.^[4]
• before 1616 – a prisoner of war's word of honour.^[11]
• 1646 – on parole, on one's word of honour.^[2]
• 1648 – parole of honour.^[2]
• 1652 – verb, to release a prisoner on parole.^[2]
• 1667 – conditional release of a prisoner.^[2]
• 1731 – a password used by officers of the guard.^[2]
• 1908 – the release of a convict before the end of a sentence, in Etymonline's and Barnhart's dating.^[3][11]
• 1935 – (linguistics) speech as actually used, as opposed to langue.^[2]
• 1960 – (US teenage slang) the end of the school day.^[16]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. The early release of a prisoner before the end of a sentence, on condition of good behaviour and of reporting regularly to the authorities; also, the period of such release: He was on parole when he was arrested again.
2. A promise given by a prisoner, especially a prisoner of war, to keep certain conditions, such as not escaping or not fighting again, in return for release or privileges; word of honour.
3. (US, military) A password used by officers or inspectors of the guard.
4. (linguistics) Language as it is actually used by individual speakers, as opposed to the language system, langue.

Verb

1. To release a prisoner on parole.

Adjective

1. Relating to parole or to people on parole: a parole hearing.

Word family

• parolable
• parolee
• unparoled

Related words

• parable
• palaver
• parabola
• parol
• parley
• parlour

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b c Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c Weekley, Ernest (1921), An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, London: John Murray
8. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
9. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
10. ^ a b Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
11. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
12. ^ a b Skeat, Walter W. (1911), A Concise Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, new ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
13. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
14. ^ Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
15. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
16. ^ a b Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com