parallel

English

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parallel

Wikipedia

Etymology

From Middle French parallèle, borrowed from Latin parallelus.

Pronunciation

• enPR: păr′ə-lĕl', IPA^(key): /ˈpæɹ.əˌlɛl/
• (Mary–marry–merry merger) enPR: pĕr′ə-lĕl', IPA^(key): /ˈpɛɹ.əˌlɛl/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

  (Mary–marry–merry distinction)

• Audio (US)

  (file)

  (Mary–marry–merry merger)

Adjective

parallel (not comparable)

1. Equally distant from one another at all points.

   The horizontal lines on my notebook paper are parallel.

   • 1911, William Robert Martin, 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Navigation:

     the instrument held with its plane roughly parallel to the equinoctial or celestial equato

2. Having the same overall direction; the comparison is indicated with "to".

   The two railway lines are parallel.

   • 1711 July 2 (Gregorian calendar), [Joseph Addison; Richard Steele et al.], “THURSDAY, June 21, 1711”, in The Spectator, number 99; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, , volume II, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, →OCLC:

     When honour runs parallel with the laws of God and our country, it cannot be too much cherished.

     The spelling has been modernized.

3. (hyperbolic geometry, said of a pair of lines) Either not intersecting, or coinciding.

   Antonyms: perpendicular, skew

4. (computing) Involving the processing of multiple tasks at the same time.

   Antonyms: serial, sequential

   Coordinate term: concurrent

   a parallel algorithm

5. (figuratively) Analogous, similar, comparable.

   the parallel lives of two citizens

6. (science fiction, of realities, dimensions, timelines, etc.) Coexisting but normally not interacting with the regular reality.

   parallel universe

Antonyms

• antiparallel
• perpendicular
• skew

Derived terms

Translations

Adverb

parallel (comparative more parallel, superlative most parallel)

1. With a parallel relationship.

   The road runs parallel to the canal.

Related terms

• parallelly

Translations

Noun

parallel (plural parallels)

1. One of a set of parallel lines.
   • 1733, [Alexander Pope], An Essay on Man. , (please specify |epistle=I to IV), London: Printed for J Wilford, , →OCLC:

     Who made the spider parallels design, / Sure as De Moivre, without rule or line?

2. Direction conformable to that of another line.
   • 1699, Samuel Garth, The Dispensary:

     lines that from their parallel decline

4. (geography) A line of latitude.

   The 31st parallel passes through the center of my town.

5. An arrangement of electrical components such that a current flows along two or more paths; see in parallel.
6. Something identical or similar in essential respects.
   • 1728, [Alexander Pope], “Book the Third”, in The Dunciad. An Heroic Poem. , Dublin, London: A. Dodd, →OCLC:

     None but thyself can be thy parallel.

7. A comparison made; elaborate tracing of similarity.

   Johnson's parallel between Dryden and Pope

8. (military) One of a series of long trenches constructed before a besieged fortress, by the besieging force, as a cover for troops supporting the attacking batteries. They are roughly parallel to the line of outer defenses of the fortress.
9. (printing) A character consisting of two parallel vertical lines, used in the text to direct attention to a similarly marked note in the margin or at the foot of a page.

Translations

Verb

parallel (third-person singular simple present parallels, present participle paralleling or (UK, nonstandard) parallelling, simple past and past participle paralleled or (UK, nonstandard) parallelled)

1. To construct or place something parallel to something else.
   • 1650, Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica: , 2nd edition, London: A Miller, for Edw Dod and Nath Ekins, , →OCLC:

     The needle […] doth parallel and place itself upon the true meridian.

2. Of a path etc: To be parallel to something else.
   • 1931, H. P. Lovecraft, chapter 6, in The Whisperer in Darkness:

     Archaic covered bridges lingered fearsomely out of the past in pockets of the hills, and the half-abandoned railway track paralleling the river seemed to exhale a nebulously visible air of desolation.

   • 2020 December 2, Paul Bigland, “My weirdest and wackiest Rover yet”, in Rail, page 66:

     Racing on, we parallel the M5 doing 95mph, according to the app on my smartphone.

3. Of a process etc: To be analogous to something else.
4. To compare or liken something to something else.
   • 1984 April 14, Reginald Shepherd, “White Men's Black Men”, in Gay Community News, page 11:

     Although its spokesmen do not hesitate to parallel their oppression to that of blacks, the gay male community has chosen to ignore the voices of black gay men.

   • 2018, Nicole Seymour, Bad Environmentalism, page 119:

     These scholars argue that gender and sexual identity are like nature and the environment; they parallel the queer/performance connection to the environmental/performance connection. I consider, instead, how all these categories actively interact and overlap.

5. To make to conform to something else in character, motive, aim, etc.
   • c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Measure for Measure”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :

     His life is parallelled / Even with the stroke and line of his great justice.

6. To equal; to match; to correspond to.
   • c. 1604–1605 (date written), William Shakespeare, “All’s Well, that Ends Well”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :

     He will steale sir an Egge out of a Cloister: for
     rapes and rauishments he paralels Nessus.

7. To produce or adduce as a parallel.
   • c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :

     My young remembrance cannot parallel / A fellow to it.

   • 1621, Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy, III.2.2.iv:

     Who cannot parallel these stories out of his experience?

   • 1689 December (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], Two Treatises of Government: , London: Awnsham Churchill, , →OCLC:

     Many have exercised their wits in paralleling the inconveniences of regal and popular government

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• sequential
• ∥

References

Danish

Etymology

Via Latin parallēlus from Ancient Greek παράλληλος (parállēlos, “side-by-side”), from παρά (pará, “by”) +‎ ἀλλήλοις (allḗlois, “each other”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Adjective

parallel (neuter parallelt, plural and definite singular attributive parallelle)

1. (geometry) parallel (equally distant at all points)
2. parallel (equivalent)

Noun

parallel c (singular definite parallellen, plural indefinite paralleller)

1. parallel (a similar case)
2. parallel (comparison)
3. (geometry, rare) parallel (a parallel line)

Declension

References

• “parallel,1” in Den Danske Ordbog
• “parallel,2” in Den Danske Ordbog

Dutch

Etymology

From Latin parallēlus (perhaps via French parallèle), which in turn derives from Ancient Greek παράλληλος (parállēlos).

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

parallel f or m (plural parallellen, diminutive parallelletje n)

1. parallel (all senses)

Adjective

parallel (not comparable)

1. parallel

   Synonym: evenwijdig

Inflection

Derived terms

Descendants

• → Papiamentu: paralèl

German

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin parallēlus, parallēlos, from Ancient Greek παράλληλος (parállēlos).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /paʁaˈleːl/

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

parallel (strong nominative masculine singular paralleler, not comparable)

1. parallel

   Die Linien meines Schreibpapiers laufen exakt parallel. ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   Die eine Bahnschiene verläuft auch in der Kurve stets parallel zur anderen. ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)

2. serving the same purpose, leading to the same result

   Die Autobahn verläuft parallel zur Eisenbahn aber in ganz unterschiedlichen Biegungen und Kurven. ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   Die Eheleute hatten nichts verabredet, so haben sie parallel (zueinander) eingekauft. ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Declension

Antonyms

• gekreuzt, schief, windschief

Related terms

• Parallele
• Parallelenparalaxe
• parallelisieren
• Parallelklasse
• Parallelogramm
• Parallelverschiebung

Further reading

• “parallel” in Duden online
• “parallel” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache