■ noun
1》 the temporary or permanent release of a prisoner before the expiry of a sentence, on the promise of good behaviour.
2》 historical a prisoner of war's word of honour to return to custody or act as a non-belligerent if released.
3》 Linguistics the actual language used by people. Contrasted with langue .
■ verb release (a prisoner) on ~.
Derivatives
~e noun
Origin
C15: from OFr., lit. 'word', from eccles. L. parabola 'speech'.