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parallel.

Equally distant from one another at all points.

8 characters3 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

adj/ˈpæ.ɹəˌlɛl/Received-Pronunciation/ˈpaɹəˌlɛl/British, Southern, Standard
  1. Equally distant from one another at all points.

    not-comparable
    The horizontal lines on my notebook paper are parallel.
  2. Having the same overall direction; the comparison is indicated with "to".

    not-comparable
    The two railway lines are parallel.
  3. Either not intersecting, or coinciding.

    excessive · not-comparable
  4. Involving the processing of multiple tasks at the same time.

    not-comparable
    a parallel algorithm
  5. Analogous, similar, comparable.

    figuratively · not-comparable
    the parallel lives of two citizens
  6. Coexisting but normally not interacting with the regular reality.

    not-comparable · usually
    parallel universe
Where this word comes from

From Middle French parallèle and its etymon Latin parallēlus, parallēlos. The verb is from the noun. See also para- and allo-.

adv/ˈpæ.ɹəˌlɛl/Received-Pronunciation/ˈpaɹəˌlɛl/British, Southern, Standard
  1. With a parallel relationship.

    The road runs parallel to the canal.
Where this word comes from

From Middle French parallèle and its etymon Latin parallēlus, parallēlos. The verb is from the noun. See also para- and allo-.

noun/ˈpæ.ɹəˌlɛl/Received-Pronunciation/ˈpaɹəˌlɛl/British, Southern, Standard
  1. One of a set of parallel lines.

  2. Direction conformable to that of another line.

  3. A line of latitude.

    The 31st parallel passes through the center of my town.
  4. An arrangement of electrical components such that a current flows along two or more paths; see in parallel.

  5. Something identical or similar in essential respects.

  6. A comparison made; elaborate tracing of similarity.

    Johnson's parallel between Dryden and Pope
  7. One of a series of long trenches constructed before a besieged fortress, by the besieging force, as a cover for troops supporting the attacking batteries. They are roughly parallel to the line of outer defenses of the fortress.

  8. A character consisting of two parallel vertical lines, used in the text to direct attention to a similarly marked note in the margin or at the foot of a page.

Where this word comes from

From Middle French parallèle and its etymon Latin parallēlus, parallēlos. The verb is from the noun. See also para- and allo-.

verb/ˈpæ.ɹəˌlɛl/Received-Pronunciation/ˈpaɹəˌlɛl/British, Southern, Standard
  1. To construct or place something parallel to something else.

  2. Of a path etc: To be parallel to something else.

  3. Of a process etc: To be analogous to something else.

  4. To compare or liken something to something else.

  5. To make to conform to something else in character, motive, aim, etc.

  6. To equal; to match; to correspond to.

  7. To produce or adduce as a parallel.

Where this word comes from

From Middle French parallèle and its etymon Latin parallēlus, parallēlos. The verb is from the noun. See also para- and allo-.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.