parlance

noun

par·​lance ˈpär-lən(t)s 

1

: speech

especially : formal debate or parley

… battle and not parlance should determine his right and title.

—John Speed

2

: manner or mode of speech : idiom

The company's computer system had, in computer parlance, "crashed."

Examples of parlance in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Brisk, truncated treatments are normally the parlance of pop mavens whose freshness dates rapidly expire and who seek to hide deficiencies. —Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 15 Mar. 2025

Kathy Webster, Littleton Mark of a caring nation DEI is common parlance. —Dp Opinion, The Denver Post, 27 Feb. 2025

May that kind of pleasure, as the current parlance goes, never find me. —Jo Hamya, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2025

The parlance for this technique is that it is considered autoregressive. —Lance Eliot, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English parlaunce, borrowed from Anglo-French parlance, parlaunce "speech, gossip, debate," from parler "to speak, talk" + -aunce, -ance -ance — more at parley entry 2

Note: Parlance is much more amply attested in Anglo-French than in continental Old and Middle French, especially after ca. 1300. The Dictionnaire du moyen français has only marginal evidence for the word after 1350.

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing parlance

• in common parlance

Kids Definition

parlance

noun

par·​lance ˈpär-lən(t)s 

: manner of speech