paroles

Noun

parole (usually uncountable, plural paroles)

1. (usually, with-on) Originally, one's oath or word of honour, given as a condition of release from custody; now specifically, describing the release of a former prisoner under certain conditions, especially the promise of good behaviour.
   • He will be on parole for nearly two more years.
2. (usually) Conditional release of a prisoner (now especially before the end of a custodial sentence), or the term or state of such release; the system governing such releases.
   • A Minnesota woman who killed her 6-year-old son will now spend the rest of her life in prison without the possibility of parole.2023 February 16, WCCO Staff, “Julissa Thaler sentenced to life in prison for murdering 6-year-old son, Eli Hart”, in cbsnews.com
3. (historical, usually) A word of honor, especially given by a prisoner of war, to not engage in combat if released.
   • This man had forfeited his military parole.1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC
4. (archaic, usually) A watchword or code phrase; (military) a password given only to officers, distinguished from the countersign, which is given to all guards.
   • ‘Classical quotation is the parole of literary men all over the world.’1791, James Boswell, Life of Johnson, Oxford, published 2008, page 1143
5. (usually) Language in use, as opposed to language as a system.
6. (US, usually, immigration law) The permission for a foreigner who does not meet the technical requirements for a visa to be allowed to enter the U.S. on humanitarian grounds.

See all 8 meanings of parole