# par

Pronunciation: US say "PAHR" /pɑɹ/; UK say "PAH" /pɑː/

## Noun

1. The state of being equal in condition or circumstances.
   - Simple: Being equal, or being in the same situation as others.
   - _The settlement put the women's team on a par with the men's in pay and travel._
   - _The two candidates started the race on par, with the same money and name recognition._
2. In golf, the number of strokes a skilled player is expected to need for a hole or a course; also, a score of exactly that number on a hole.
   - Simple: In golf, the usual number of shots a good player needs for a hole, or a score of exactly that number.
   - _A long drive and a solid chip left him a short putt for par._
   - _She shot three under par on the back nine to take the lead._
3. An amount regarded as the average or mean level. *(UK)*
   - Simple: An amount that is taken as the average or normal level.
   - _The firm's profits for the quarter were slightly above par for the sector._
   - _Turnout at the autumn fixtures was roughly par for a mid-table side._
5. Equal value, or equality between nominal and actual value; also, the value stated on the face of a bond or other commercial paper.
   - Simple: Equal value, or the amount printed on a bond, or a price equal to that amount.
   - _When interest rates fell, the bonds began trading well above par._
   - _When the new currency replaced the old one at par, prices in the shops did not change at all._

## Preposition

4. Used only within phrases borrowed from French, where it means by or with, as in par excellence.
   - Simple: Used in a few phrases taken from French, where it means by or with.
   - _He was the showman par excellence, never happier than in front of a crowd._
   - _The letter went par avion, with a blue airmail sticker on the envelope._

## Verb

6. In golf, to complete a hole in exactly the allotted number of strokes.
   - Simple: In golf, to finish a hole using exactly the set number of hits.
   - _He parred every hole on the back nine without a single bogey._
   - _Few players par the eighteenth, with its long carry over water._
7. To hang out or associate with someone, spending time together in a relaxed way. *(dialectal, Multicultural London English)*
   - Simple: To spend time with people and relax with them.
   - _He only pars with his close friends from the area now._
   - _On Fridays we par outside the chicken shop till late._

## Other meanings

- (noun) Short for paragraph: in newspaper jargon, a paragraph of a story, usually only one or two sentences long.
- (adjective) Short for parallel: of lines or surfaces, running side by side at the same distance apart, so that they never meet.
- (noun) Short for parenthesis: a word or phrase inserted into a sentence as an aside, or either of the round brackets that enclose it.
- (noun) Short for parish: a church district or a local administrative district, often abbreviated this way in records.

## Origin

**Meaning 4** — Latin per ("through") developed into French par ("through, by"), and English borrowed the French word. It is a doublet of per.
**Meanings 1–3, 5–6** — Borrowed from Latin pār (“equal”).
**Meaning 7** — Borrowed from Jamaican Creole, itself from partner.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/par (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).