- [uncountable, singular] (British English)
a lot of unnecessary activity, excitement or trouble, especially caused by something that is not important 麻烦；琐事；忙乱 - [uncountable] (North American English)
talk that does not have any meaning 空话；废话
Word Originmid 18th cent. (in the sense ‘a talk between tribespeople and traders’): from Portuguese palavra ‘word’, from Latin parabola ‘comparison’, from Greek parabolē ‘placing side by side, application’, from para- ‘beside’ + bolē ‘a throw’ (from the verb ballein).