PARALLEL


Meaning of PARALLEL in English

I. par ‧ al ‧ lel 1 AC /ˈpærəlel/ BrE AmE noun [countable]

[ Word Family: noun : ↑ parallel , ↑ parallelism ; verb : ↑ parallel ; adjective : ↑ parallel ]

1 . a relationship or similarity between two things, especially things that exist or happen in different places or at different times

parallel with

Entering the world of fine art, she found many parallels with the world of fashion.

parallel between

There are many parallels between Yeats and the Romantic poets.

books that attempt to draw parallels between brains and computers

2 . in parallel with somebody/something together with and at the same time as something else:

She wanted to pursue her own career in parallel with her husband’s.

3 . have no parallel/be without parallel be greater, better, worse etc than anything else:

The poverty of hill farmers had no parallel.

4 . an imaginary line drawn on a map of the Earth, that is parallel to the ↑ equator :

the 38th parallel

II. parallel 2 AC BrE AmE adjective

[ Word Family: noun : ↑ parallel , ↑ parallelism ; verb : ↑ parallel ; adjective : ↑ parallel ]

[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: parallelus , from Greek parallelos , from para 'beside' + allelon 'of one another' ]

1 . two lines, paths etc that are parallel to each other are the same distance apart along their whole length:

Lines AB and CD are parallel.

two parallel roads

parallel to

She was travelling parallel to her previous route.

parallel with

The railway is parallel with the canal.

Take the road running parallel to the main road just after the village.

2 . formal similar and happening at the same time:

Social changes in Britain are matched by parallel trends in some other countries.

III. parallel 3 AC BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle paralleled , present participle paralleling also parallelled , parallelling British English ) [transitive] written

[ Word Family: noun : ↑ parallel , ↑ parallelism ; verb : ↑ parallel ; adjective : ↑ parallel ]

if one thing parallels another, they happen at the same time or are similar, and seem to be related:

The rise in greenhouse gases parallels the reduction in the ozone layer.

His career parallels that of his father.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.