From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Parallel \Par"al*lel\, adjective [F. parall['e]le, L. parallelus, fr. Gr. ?; para' beside + ? of one another, fr. ? other, akin to L. alius. See {Alien}.]
1. (Geom.) Extended in the same direction, and in all parts equally distant; as, parallel lines; parallel planes.
Revolutions . . . parallel to the equinoctial. --Hakluyt.
Note: Curved lines or curved planes are said to be parallel when they are in all parts equally distant.
2. Having the same direction or tendency; running side by side; being in accordance (with); tending to the same result; -- used with to and with.
When honor runs parallel with the laws of God and our country, it can not be too much cherished. --Addison.
3. Continuing a resemblance through many particulars; applicable in all essential parts; like; similar; as, a parallel case; a parallel passage. --Addison.
{Parallel bar}. (a) (Steam Eng.) A rod in a parallel motion which is parallel with the working beam. (b) One of a pair of bars raised about five feet above the floor or ground, and parallel to each other, -- used for gymnastic exercises.
{Parallel circles of a sphere}, those circles of the sphere whose planes are parallel to each other.
{Parallel columns}, or {Parallels} (Printing), two or more passages of reading matter printed side by side, for the purpose of emphasizing the similarity or discrepancy between them.
{Parallel forces} (Mech.), forces which act in directions parallel to each other.
{Parallel motion}. (a) (Mach.) A jointed system of links, rods, or bars, by which the motion of a reciprocating piece, as a piston rod, may be guided, either approximately or exactly in a straight line. --Rankine. (b) (Mus.) The ascending or descending of two or more parts at fixed intervals, as thirds or sixths.
{Parallel rod} (Locomotive Eng.), a metal rod that connects the crank pins of two or more driving wheels; -- called also {couping rod}, in distinction from the connecting rod. See Illust. of {Locomotive}, in App. -- {Parallel ruler}, an instrument for drawing parallel lines, so constructed as to have the successive positions of the ruling edge parallel to each other; also, one consisting of two movable parts, the opposite edges of which are always parallel.
{Parallel sailing} (Naut.), sailing on a parallel of latitude.
{Parallel sphere} (Astron. & Geog.), that position of the sphere in which the circles of daily motion are parallel to the horizon, as to an observer at either pole.
{Parallel vise}, a vise having jaws so guided as to remain parallel in all positions.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Parallel \Par"al*lel\, verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Paralleled}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Paralleling}.]
1. To place or set so as to be parallel; to place so as to be parallel to, or to conform in direction with, something else.
The needle . . . doth parallel and place itself upon the true meridian. --Sir T. Browne.
2. Fig.: To make to conform to something else in character, motive, aim, or the like.
His life is paralleled Even with the stroke and line of his great justice. --Shak.
3. To equal; to match; to correspond to. --Shak.
4. To produce or adduce as a parallel. [R.] --Locke.
My young remembrance can not parallel A fellow to it. --Shak.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
1. A line which, throughout its whole extent, is equidistant from another line; a parallel line, a parallel plane, etc.
Who made the spider parallels design, Sure as De Moivre, without rule or line ? --Pope.
2. Direction conformable to that of another line,
Lines that from their parallel decline. --Garth.
3. Conformity continued through many particulars or in all essential points; resemblance; similarity.
Twixt earthly females and the moon All parallels exactly run. --Swift.
4. A comparison made; elaborate tracing of similarity; as, Johnson's parallel between Dryden and Pope.
5. Anything equal to, or resembling, another in all essential particulars; a counterpart.
None but thyself can be thy parallel. --Pope.
6. (Geog.) One of the imaginary circles on the surface of the earth, parallel to the equator, marking the latitude; also, the corresponding line on a globe or map; as, the counry was divided into North and South at the 38th parallel. [1913 Webster +PJC]
7. (Mil.) 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. (Print.) A character consisting of two parallel vertical lines (thus, ||) used in the text to direct attention to a similarly marked note in the margin or at the foot of a page.
9. (Elec.) That arrangement of an electrical system in which all positive poles, electrodes, terminals, etc., are joined to one conductor, and all negative poles, etc., to another conductor; -- called also {multiple}. Opposed to {series}.
Note: Parts of a system so arranged are said to be
{in parallel} or
{in multiple}. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
{Limiting parallels}. See under {Limit}, verb (used with an object)
{Parallel of altitude} (Astron.), one of the small circles of the sphere, parallel to the horizon; an almucantar.
{Parallel of declination} (Astron.), one of the small circles of the sphere, parallel to the equator.
{Parallel of latitude}. (a) (Geog.) See def. 6. above. (b) (Astron.) One of the small circles of the sphere, parallel to the ecliptic.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Parallel \Par"al*lel\, verb (used without an object) To be parallel; to correspond; to be like. [Obs.] --Bacon.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
adjective
1: being everywhere equidistant and not intersecting; "parallel lines never converge"; "concentric circles are parallel"; "dancers in two parallel rows" [ant: {perpendicular}, {oblique}]
2: of or relating to the simultaneous performance of multiple operations; "parallel processing"
noun
1: something having the property of being analogous to something else [syn: {analogue}, {analog}]
2: an imaginary line around the Earth parallel to the equator [syn: {latitude}, {line of latitude}, {parallel of latitude}]
verb
1: be parallel to; "Their roles are paralleled by ours"
2: make or place parallel to something; "They paralleled the ditch to the highway" [syn: {collimate}]
3: duplicate or match; "The polished surface twinned his face and chest in reverse" [syn: {twin}, {duplicate}] [also: {parallelling}, {parallelled}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
426 Moby Thesaurus words for "parallel": Antarctic Zone, Arctic Circle, Arctic Zone, Frigid Zones, Lambert conformal projection, Mercator projection, Miller projection, Torrid Zone, Tropic of Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn, Variable Zones, abri, accessory, accompanying, accord, admit of comparison, aeronautical chart, affiliate, affiliated, agnate, agree, agree with, akin, align, aligned, alike, allied, ally, alter ego, amount to, analogical, analogize, analogon, analogous, analogue, analogy, answer to, ape, appear like, apply, approach, approach trench, approximate, assent, assimilate, associate, associated, assort with, astronomical chart, atlas, attendant, attending, azimuthal equidistant projection, azimuthal projection, balance, be commensurable, be comparable, be consistent, be like, be of one, be parallel, be redolent of, be uniform with, bear resemblance, bind, bound, bracket, bracketed, break even, bring into analogy, bring into comparison, bring to mind, brother, bunker, call to mind, call up, cartographer, cartography, celestial chart, celestial globe, chart, check, chime, chorographer, chorography, climate, climatic chart, clime, close copy, close match, coequal, coequality, coextend, coextending, coextensive, cognate, cohere, coincide, coincident, collatable, collateral, collimate, collocate, combined, come close, come near, come to, come up to, commensurable, commensurate, communication trench, companion, comparable, comparative, compare, compare and contrast, compare to, compare with, compeer, complement, concomitant, concur, concurrent, conform, conform to, conform with, confront, congenator, congener, congruent, conic projection, conjoint, conjugate, connect, connected, consist with, consonant, contemporaneous, contemporary, contour line, contour map, contrast, cooperate, coordinate, copy, correlate, correlated, correlation, correlative, correspond, correspond to, correspond with, correspondence, correspondent, corresponding, counterbalance, counterfeit, countermine, counterpart, counterpose, couple, coupled, coupure, cylindrical projection, ditch, ditto, double, double sap, dovetail, draw, draw a comparison, draw a parallel, dugout, duplicate, duplication, echo, entrenchment, equal, equality, equate, equator, equidistant, equipoise, equipollent, equiponderance, equispaced, equivalence, equivalent, even, even off, even up, evoke, fall in together, favor, fellow, fire trench, fit together, flying sap, follow, fortified tunnel, fosse, foxhole, gallery, general reference map, globe, gnomonic projection, go alongside, go beside, go together, go with, graphic scale, grid line, hachure, hang together, harmonize, heliographic chart, hit, hold together, homologous, homologue, horse latitudes, hydrographic chart, identify, image, imitate, implicated, in proportion, index, interlinked, interlock, interlocked, interrelate, interrelated, intersect, involved, isoline, iterate, jibe, joined, joint, keep pace with, kindred spirit, kinship, knot, knotted, latitude, layer tint, legend, like, liken, liken to, likeness, line up, lined up, link, linked, lock, longitude, longitude in arc, look like, map, map maker, map projection, mapper, match, match up with, matchable, matching, mate, measure against, measure up to, meridian, metaphorize, mimic, mine, mirror, moat, much at one, mutatis mutandis, mutual, near, near duplicate, nearly reproduce, nonconvergent, nondivergent, not compare with, not tell apart, obverse, of a kind, of a piece, of a size, of that ilk, of that kind, offset, oppose, opposite number, overlap, paired, paragon, parallel bar, parallel file, parallel line, parallelepiped, parallelepipedal, paralleler, parallelinervate, paralleling, parallelism, parallelize, parallelodrome, parallelogram, parallelogrammatic, parallelogrammic, parallelotropic, pari passu, parity, partake of, peer, pendant, photogrammetrist, photogrammetry, photomap, phototopography, physical map, picture, place against, political map, polyconic projection, prime meridian, projection, proportion, proportional, proportionate, reach, reciprocal, register, register with, reiterate, relate, related, relationship, relative, relativize, relief map, remind one of, repeat, representative fraction, resemblance, resemble, respond to, rival, road map, roaring forties, run a comparison, run abreast, run parallel, run to, sap, savor of, scale, second self, seem like, set in contrast, set in opposition, set off, set off against, set over against, similar, similarity, similitude, similize, simulacrum, simulate, simultaneous, sing in chorus, sinusoidal projection, sister, slit trench, smack of, sort with, soul mate, sound like, special map, spliced, square, square with, stack up with, stand together, subtropics, such, suchlike, suggest, symmetry, take after, tally, terrain map, terrestrial globe, the like of, the likes of, the line, thematic map, tie, tied, topographer, topographic chart, topography, touch, transportation map, trench, tropic, tropics, tunnel, twin, twinned, uniform, vie, vie with, view together, weather chart, weather map, wed, wedded, weigh, weigh against, yoked, zone
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