Definition
A word; a unit of language used to communicate meaning. Also used to mean "one's word" as a promise.
Example
Non capisco questa parola in italiano.
Show translation
I don't understand this word in Italian.
Etymology
From Latin *parabola*, meaning "speech" or "parable," itself borrowed from Greek *παραβολή* (parabolḗ), "comparison, illustration." In Late Latin, *parabola* shifted to mean simply "word" or "utterance," replacing the classical *verbum* in many Romance languages — hence French *parole*, Spanish *palabra*, and Italian *parola*.
Cultural note
Italians place great cultural weight on *la parola data* — "the word given" — as a solemn promise requiring no written contract. The phrase *dare la propria parola* (to give one's word) carries deep social weight. Separately, *Parola!* on its own can be used colloquially to mean "I swear!" or "Honestly!" Watch out for the false friend with English: *parola* never means "parable" in modern Italian — that's *parabola*.