polari
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
Polari¹
- /pəˈlɑːri/
Where it comes from
Borrowed from Polari, from Italian parlare (“to talk”). The loss of the first r and the changing vowel quality of the non-stressed vowels is due to the non-rhotic UK accent which reinterpreted the phonemes. The adoption of the infinitive form means that the word probably originated from a Romance-based creole or pidgin like Sabir. First use in English appears c. 1846, in the writings of Lord Chief Baron.
proper noun Palare · Palari · Palarie · Parlare · Parlary · Parlyaree
- A cant used in the London fishmarkets, in the British theatre, and by the gay community in Britain, attested since at least the 19th century and popularised in the 1950s and 1960s by the camp characters Julian and Sandy in the popular BBC radio show Round the Horne.
- A cant used by travelling showmen in Britain.
polari²
Where it comes from
From Italian parlare (“to talk”). See Polari for more.
verb polaris · polariing · polarying · polaried
- To speak or talk, particularly in slang or cant. Will you take a varder at the cartz on the feely-omi in the naf strides: the one with the bona blue ogles polarying the omi-palone with a vogue on and a cod sheitel.
Translations
Talk about this word "polari." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/polari. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. polari. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/polari "polari." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/polari.Cite this
@misc{polari_2026,
title = {polari},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/polari},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
