<B>parallel, </B>adjective, noun, verb, <B>-leled,</B> <B>-leling</B> or (especially British) <B>-lelled,</B> <B>-lelling.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>at or being the same distance apart everywhere like the two rails of a railroad track. In geometry, parallel lines or planes extend alongside one another, always equidistant and (in Euclidean geometry) never meeting however far extended, or (in projective geometry) meeting at infinity. <BR> <I>Ex. The Appalachian ridge-and-valley region is the most notable example in the world of parallel ridges and valleys (Finch and Trewartha).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) similar; corresponding. <BR> <I>Ex. parallel customs in different countries, parallel points in the characters of different men.</I> (SYN) analogous, like. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Music.) <DD><B> a. </B>(of parts) moving so that the interval between them remains the same. <BR> <I>Ex. parallel thirds, fifths, etc.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>having to do with major and minor keys having the same tonic, such as C major and C minor. <DD><B> 4. </B>having to do with things, especially mechanisms, of which some essential parts are parallel, or which are used to produce parallelism of movement. <BR> <I>Ex. a parallel digital computer.</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>(Electronics.) having all positive poles joined to one conductor, and all negative ones to the other. <BR> <I>Ex. a parallel circuit.</I> <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a parallel line or surface. <BR> <I>Ex. the parallels seem to come together in the distance.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>in geography: <DD><B> a. </B>any of the imaginary circles around the earth parallel to the equator, marking degrees of latitude. <BR> <I>Ex. The 49th parallel marks much of the boundary between Canada and the United States.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>the markings on a map or globe that represent these circles. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) a person or thing like or similar to another. <BR> <I>Ex. His experience was an interesting parallel to ours. We have to go to other centuries to find a parallel to his career (William Osler).</I> (SYN) counterpart, match. <DD><B> 4. </B>(Figurative.) a comparison to show likeness. <BR> <I>Ex. Draw a parallel between this winter and last winter. There is no sort of parallel between the cases (Joseph Butler).</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>the condition or relation of being parallel; parallelism. <BR> <I>Ex. (Figurative.) Niles-Bement-Pond and Bell "would work in parallel" if the transaction is completed (Wall Street Journal).</I> <DD><B> 6. </B>an arrangement of the wiring of batteries, lights, or other electrical devices in which all the positive poles or terminals are joined to one conductor, and all the negative to the other. <BR> <I>Ex. When several devices are connected "in parallel," you can turn on one light or one toaster without having everything else going (Beauchamp, Mayfield, West).</I> <DD><B> 7. </B>trench dug parallel to the defenses of a fort by an attacking force for its own protection. <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to be at the same distance from throughout the length. <BR> <I>Ex. The street parallels the railroad. He had then ... crossed over a ridge that paralleled their rear (Rudyard Kipling).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to cause to be or run parallel to. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) to find a case that is similar or parallel to; furnish a match for. <BR> <I>Ex. Can you parallel that for friendliness?</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>(Figurative.) to be like; be similar to; correspond or be equivalent to. <BR> <I>Ex. Your story closely parallels what he told me.</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>(Figurative.) to compare in order to show likeness; bring into comparison; liken. <DD><B> 6. </B>(Obsolete.) to bring into conformity. <BR><I>expr. <B>parallels,</B> </I>(Printing.) a reference mark consisting of a pair of vertical parallel lines. <BR> <I>Ex. parallels inserted on the margin.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="parallelbars">
<B>parallel bars,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a pair of raised bars horizontal to the ground, used in gymnastics to develop the muscles, especially of the arms and chest. </DL>
<A NAME="parallelcousin">
<B>parallel cousin,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Anthropology.) one of two cousins whose parents include two brothers or two sisters; ortho-cousin. </DL>
<A NAME="parallelepiped">
<B>parallelepiped, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Geometry.) a solid with three pairs of opposite, parallel faces which are parallelograms. </DL>
<B>parallel file,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a file of uniform section without taper from tang to point. </DL>
<A NAME="parallelforces">
<B>parallel forces,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Mechanics.) forces that act in parallel lines. </DL>
<A NAME="parallelism">
<B>parallelism, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a being parallel. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) likeness; similarity; correspondence; agreement. <BR> <I>Ex. For the first 14 years of life, the schooling of a girl is virtually the same as for a boy. But in high school ... parallelism is likely to end (Science News Letter).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>parallel statements in writing, expressed in the same grammatical form. (Example:) "He was advised to rise early, to work hard, and to eat heartily." <DD><B> 4. </B>(Metaphysics.) the doctrine that mental and bodily processes are concomitant, each varying with variation of the other, but that there is no causal relation of interaction between the two series of changes. <DD><B> 5. </B>(Obsolete.) a simile. </DL>
<A NAME="parallelist">
<B>parallelist, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a person who draws a parallel or comparison. <DD><B> 2. </B>an advocate of the metaphysical doctrine of parallelism. </DL>
<A NAME="parallelistic">
<B>parallelistic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of the nature of or involving parallelism. <BR> <I>Ex. (Figurative.) This parallelistic development of corbeling differs from that of the true arch, which seems everywhere to be derived from a single original source (Alfred L. Kroeber).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="parallelity">
<B>parallelity, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> parallel arrangement, condition, or character. </DL>
<A NAME="parallelize">
<B>parallelize, </B>transitive verb, <B>-ized,</B> <B>-izing.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>to make parallel; place so as to be parallel, especially for comparison; bring into comparison; compare. <DD><B> 2. </B>to furnish a parallel for, or form a parallel to; match. noun <B>parallelization.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="parallelly">
<B>parallelly, </B>adverb.<DL COMPACT><DD> in a parallel manner. </DL>
<A NAME="parallelmotion">
<B>parallel motion,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>(Music.) motion involving two parts or voices sounded together and moving in the same direction at the same intervals, usually parallel thirds or sixths. <DD><B> 2. </B>a mechanism by which the end of a piston rod is caused to move in a straight line in spite of deflecting effort. </DL>
<A NAME="parallelofdeclination">
<B>parallel of declination,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Astronomy.) any imaginary circle whose plane is parallel to the celestial equator. </DL>
<A NAME="paralleloflatitude">
<B>parallel of latitude,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> any imaginary circle on the earth's surface, parallel to the equator, by which degrees of latitude are represented. <BR> <I>Ex. Parallels of latitude ... decrease in size with increasing distance from the equator (Robert H. Baker).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="parallelogram">
<B>parallelogram, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a four-sided plane figure whose opposite sides are parallel and equal, such as a rectangle or diamond. <DD><B> 2. </B>a thing shaped like this. </DL>
<B>parallel parking,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> parking with the length of the car parallel to the curb. </DL>
<A NAME="parallelprocessing">
<B>parallel processing,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> performance of many operations simultaneously on a computer by linking together a number of microprocessors. </DL>
<A NAME="parallels">
<B>parallels, </B>noun pl.<DL COMPACT><DD> See under <B>parallel.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="parallelsailing">
<B>parallel sailing,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> sailing due east or west, as along a parallel of latitude. </DL>
<A NAME="paralogia">
<B>paralogia, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Psychology.) a mental disorder characterized by difficulty in expressing ideas or illogicalness and irrelevance in speech. </DL>
<A NAME="paralogism">
<B>paralogism, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Logic.) <DD><B> 1. </B>a piece of false or erroneous reasoning, especially one of which the reasoner himself is unconscious. <DD><B> 2. </B>reasoning of this kind. </DL>
<A NAME="paralogist">
<B>paralogist, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person who uses paralogisms; a false reasoner. </DL>
<A NAME="paralogistic">
<B>paralogistic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> characterized by paralogism or incorrect reasoning; illogical. </DL>
<A NAME="paralogize">
<B>paralogize, </B>intransitive verb, <B>-gized,</B> <B>-gizing.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> to commit a paralogism. </DL>
<A NAME="paralympic">
<B>Paralympic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or having to do with the Paralympics. </DL>
<A NAME="paralympics">
<B>Paralympics, </B>noun pl.<DL COMPACT><DD> a series of international sports contests in which the participants are paraplegics. </DL>
<B>paralysis, </B>noun, pl. <B>-ses.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1a. </B>a lessening or loss of the power of motion or sensation in any part of the body. <BR> <I>Ex. The accident left him with paralysis of the legs. To the public "paralysis" means a serious crippling, whereas it may actually be only a barely perceptible and transient loss of muscular control (New York Times).</I> <DD><B> b. </B>a disease characterized by this. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) a condition of helpless lack of activity; state of being helpless; crippling. <BR> <I>Ex. The war caused a paralysis of trade.</I> </DL>
