n.
Pronunciation: ' pa-r ə - ˌ le- ˌ li-z ə m, -l ə - ˌ li-
Function: noun
Date: 1610
1 : the quality or state of being parallel
2 : RESEMBLANCE , CORRESPONDENCE
3 : repeated syntactical similarities introduced for rhetorical effect
4 : a theory that mind and matter accompany one another but are not causally related
5 : the independent development of a similar trait in related species or lineages following divergence from a common ancestor