PARALLEL


Meaning of PARALLEL in English

I. ˈparəˌlel also ˈper- or -rələl sometimes ˌ ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷ˈlel adjective

Etymology: Latin parallelus, from Greek parallēlos, from para beside + allēlōn of one another, from allos … allos one … the other — more at para- , else

1. : extending in the same direction and everywhere equidistant : forming a line in the same direction but not meeting

half a dozen parallel scars … ran from his forehead into the thickness of his hair — Eric Linklater

parallel rows of tall poplars — American Guide Series: Washington

the ships steam on parallel courses as close together as feasible — W.D.Leggett

a long, low house running parallel with the road — G.K.Chesterton

a line parallel to the edge of a paper

2.

a. : not meeting however far extended — used of lines in the same plane, of planes, or of a line and a plane

b. : everywhere equally distant

concentric circles are parallel

concentric spheres are parallel

involutes of the same space curve are parallel

3.

a. : having parallel sides

a parallel file

a parallel gutter

a parallel reamer

b. : being or relating to an electrical circuit having a number of conductors in parallel

4.

a. : marked by likeness or correspondence especially in time, direction, course, tendency, or development : similar, analogous, or interdependent in line followed : tending toward the same point or result

parallel strikes on the railroads, in the gas and electricity services — Percy Winner

the standing committee systems in the two Houses are reasonably parallel — Harold Zink

b. : set side by side : capable of being matched : companion : readily compared or contrasted

the marriage rate turned upward … the birth rate entered upon a parallel climb — Oscar Handlin

all sorts of pranks, parallel to the serious exploits performed by the heroes — R.A.Hall b. 1911

c.

(1) : having identical syntactic elements in corresponding positions

(2) : identical in construction to a syntactic element in a corresponding position

d. : keeping at the same distance apart in musical pitch : having consecutive motion

parallel voice parts

parallel fifths

— compare consecutive intervals

5. : of or in accordance with philosophical parallelism

Synonyms: see like

II. noun

( -s )

1.

a. : a parallel line, curve, or surface

b.

(1) : one of the imaginary circles on the surface of the earth paralleling the equator and marking the latitude

(2) : the corresponding line on a globe or map

c. : one of a series of long trenches that is approximately parallel to the face of fortification works attacked and that is constructed by a besieging force as a cover for troops

d. : a character ‖ used in printing as the fifth in series of the reference marks — often used in plural

2.

a. : something equal or similar in all essential details : counterpart

progress that is without parallel in the history of mankind — Current Biography

the situation of modern man … has no parallel in the past — Rudolf Allers

conductor of such genius that he has no exact parallel in reality — Marcia Davenport

implements from near the end of the old Stone Age find parallels among those of the Eskimo — A.L.Kroeber

b. : agreement in many or all essential details : resemblance , similarity , analogue

there are parallels in Grettis Saga … to encounters like this — W.P.Ker

pre-Columbian cultural parallels found in the two hemispheres — R.W.Murray

3. : a comparison to show resemblance : a tracing of similarity

many interesting parallels are drawn with the historical plays of Shakespeare — Times Literary Supplement

4.

a. : parallel position or state of being physically parallel : parallelism

deviation of the two visual lines from parallel — H.G.Armstrong

b. : an arrangement of electrical devices in a circuit in which the same potential difference is applied to two or more resistances with each resistance on a parallel branch of the circuit

several generators operated in parallel

— called also multiple ; contrasted with series

5.

a. : parallel rule

b. : a block or strip of metal made with two parallel sides and used especially in machine-shop work (as for a gage block or for setting up work)

6. : a raised platform that is parallel with the floor, that has a folding base, and that is used especially for lights or cameras (as in the theater or in a television studio) ; also : the folding base

Synonyms: see comparison

III. verb

( -ed/-ing/-s )

transitive verb

1. : to set up as closely analogous or agreeing in essential qualities or characteristics : compare

he parallels the jollity of Christmas at Dingley Dell with the picture of country life in Attica — Lucien Price

2.

a. : to show something equal or parallel to : match

parallel that stage of national culture — Deems Taylor

disablement behavior amongst birds may be paralleled in human life — E.A.Armstrong

with a precipitancy only to be paralleled by her exit from this mortal scene — T.L.Peacock

state of affairs is partially paralleled in contemporary medicine — A.L.Kroeber

long head hair in some humans is paralleled by that of Angora cats — Weston LaBarre

b. : to be or form a parallel to : correspond to

a piece of fiction paralleling a historical incident

paralleling this change in artistic practice is a change in the concurrent critical apologia — Bernard Smith

program which roughly paralleled the private school — J.B.Conant

the career of the principal character parallels the actual life story — Bennett Cerf

3. obsolete : to produce or adduce as a parallel

my young remembrance cannot parallel a fellow to it — Shakespeare

4. : to place so as to be parallel to or to conform in direction with something

machines comb, parallel , and blend the fibers — Story of Twine in Agriculture

three rifles were paralleled on pegs — Stephen Crane

5. : to extend, run, or move in a direction parallel to : correspond to or match in direction

an airstrip paralleling the highway

the route parallels the river

intransitive verb

: to be parallel

long and narrow farms, crowded by paralleling ridges — American Guide Series: Pennsylvania

IV. adverb

: in a parallel manner — often used with with or to

V. adjective

1. : arranged in parallel

a parallel processor

2. : relating to or being a connection in a computer system in which the bits of a byte are transmitted over separate channels at the same time — compare serial 1 herein

VI. noun

: an arrangement or state that permits several operations or tasks to be performed simultaneously rather than consecutively

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.