Parley

Not to be confused with Parlay.

Parley (/ˈpɑrli/) is a discussion or conference, especially one between enemies over terms of a truce or other matters. The root of the word parley is parler, which is the French verb "to speak"; specifically the conjugation parlez "you speak", whether as imperative or indicative.

Beginning in the High Middle Ages with the expansion of monarchs, a parley, or "talk", was a meeting held between kings and their Chief Retainers. Parleys were part of the many changes in Europe, especially regarding governments. These meetings can be attributed to the formation of parliaments, which are derived from a similar root, parliamentum, simply meaning "talking".

The internationally recognized symbol for offering parley is a black flag, particularly in the context of shipping. For example a ship at war wishing to enter parley with its attackers may raise a black flag to indicate this.

Popular Culture References

The Pirates of the Caribbean (film series) refers to it as being part of the Pirate code. The term was used in the film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), when the protagonist Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) is captured by enemy pirates, although the movie franchise later spells the word incorrectly as "Parlay". In other films of the series, most notably Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, the term is often used by Captain Jack Sparrow.

The term is frequently used by characters in the HBO drama series The Wire.

It was also used by C.S. Lewis in the book The Voyage of the Dawn Treader after coming to the Island of the Voices.