parallel (ˈpærəˌlɛl
)
Definitions
adjective
postpositive, usually foll by to- separated by an equal distance at every point; never touching or intersecting ⇒
parallel walls
- corresponding; similar ⇒
parallel situations
- music
- Also
consecutive (of two or more parts or melodies) moving in similar motion but keeping the same interval apart throughout ⇒parallel fifths
- denoting successive chords in which the individual notes move in parallel motion
- Also
- grammar denoting syntactic constructions in which the constituents of one construction correspond to those of the other
- computing operating on several items of information, instructions, etc, simultaneously Compare serial (sense 6)
noun
- mathematics one of a set of parallel lines, planes, etc
- an exact likeness
- a comparison
parallel of latitude any of the imaginary lines around the earth parallel to the equator, designated by degrees of latitude ranging from 0° at the equator to 90° at the poles- a configuration of two or more electrical components connected between two points in a circuit so that the same voltage is applied to each (esp in the phrase in parallel)
- ((as modifier) ⇒
a parallel circuit
See series (sense 6)
- printing the character (∥) used as a reference mark
- a trench or line lying in advance of and parallel to other defensive positions
verb
(tr)- to make parallel
- to supply a parallel to
- to be a parallel to or correspond with ⇒
your experience parallels mine
Word Origin
C16: via French and Latin from Greek parallēlos alongside one another, from para-C16: via French and Latin from Greek alongside one another, from 1 + one another + allēlos one anotherSynonyms
View thesaurus entry=
equivalent,
counterpart,
match,
equal,
twin,
complement,
duplicate,
analogue,
likeness,
corollary,
Translations
- British English:
parallel
Parallel events or situations happen at the same time as one another, or are similar to one another....parallel talks between the two countries' Foreign Ministers.ˈpærəˌlɛl ADJECTIVE ...parallel talks between the two countries' Foreign Ministers.
- Spanish:
paralelo
adj paralela
- French:
parallèle
adj
- German:
parallel
adj
- Chinese: 平行的 adj
- Arabic: مُتَوَازِيّ adj
- Portuguese: paralelo adj paralela
- Russian: параллельный adj параллельная
- Croatian: paralelan adj paralelna
- Czech: rovnoběžný adj
- Danish: parallel adj
- Dutch: parallel adj
- Finnish: rinnakkainen adj
- Greek: παράλληλος adj παράλληλη
- Italian: parallelo adj parallela
- Japanese: 平行の no_posp
- Korean: 평행인 adj
- Norwegian: parallell adj parallelt
- Polish: równoległy adj równoległa
- Brazilian Portuguese: paralelo adj paralela
- European Spanish:
paralelo
adj paralela
- Swedish: parallell adj parallellt
- Thai: ขนาน adj
- Turkish: paralel adj
- Vietnamese: song song adj
Usage examples
At the back of his mind was the thought that he must try to keep parallel to the Autobahn.
, A Matter of Conscience (1989)The closest parallel you can get to what his protests meant to our generation is John Ruskin.
Country Life (2004)How tantalising it would be to get a peek into the parallel career of Roy Keane.
Irish Times (2002)Last night there were fears that conflict abroad could produce a parallel breakdown in relations at home.
Glasgow Herald (2001)Symptom changes do not always reflect or parallel actual health changes.
, WHY CAN'T I LOSE WEIGHT: Is Your Weight Gain a Symptom of a Hidden Health Problem? (2002)