pourparler
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pour·par·ler
(po͝or′pär-lā′)n.
Discussion or negotiation preliminary to an agreement or treaty.
[French, from Old French, to discuss with the aim of reaching agreement, conversation preliminary to an agreement : pour, for, before (from Old French, from Latin prō; see pro-1) + parler, to talk; see parley.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
pourparler
(purparle; English pʊəˈpɑːleɪ)n
(Government, Politics & Diplomacy) an informal or preliminary conference
[literally: for speaking]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
pour•par•ler
(ˌpʊər pɑrˈleɪ)n. pl. -lers (-ˈleɪz, -ˈleɪ)
an informal preliminary conference.
[1790–1800; < French: literally, for talking]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
pourparler
A French term meaning for speaking, used to mean a preliminary discussion before a main one.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited