# parallel

Pronunciation: say "PA-ruh-lel" US /ˈpæɹəˌlɛl/, UK /ˈpæɹəlɛl/

## Adjective

1. Of lines or surfaces, always the same distance apart along their whole length, so that they never meet.
   - Simple: Staying the same distance apart at every point, so the lines never meet.
   - _The two shelves run parallel, staying exactly the same distance apart along their whole length._
   - _Engineers confirmed the beams were perfectly parallel before bolting them down._
2. Running in the same overall direction as something else, typically expressed with the word "to".
   - Simple: Going in the same direction as something else.
   - _The new highway runs parallel to the old coastal road._
   - _Hold the ruler parallel to the bottom edge of the paper._
3. Analogous, similar, or comparable to something else in essential respects.
   - Simple: Very similar or comparable to something else in an important way.
   - _The two novels explore parallel themes of loss and renewal._
   - _Their careers followed remarkably parallel courses._
7. Involving the processing of multiple tasks simultaneously rather than one at a time.
   - Simple: Able to handle many tasks at the same time instead of one after another.
   - _The simulation runs on a parallel architecture spread across hundreds of cores._
   - _Parallel processing lets the system handle several data streams at once._
8. Existing alongside ordinary reality but normally separate from it and not interacting with it.
   - Simple: Existing alongside our own world but not normally touching it.
   - _The hero slips into a parallel dimension where history unfolded differently._
   - _Many science fiction stories imagine parallel worlds branching from a single decision._
16. Of two lines or planes, never meeting however far they are extended, or else coinciding completely.
   - Simple: Staying the same distance apart and never crossing.
   - _The surveyor confirmed that the two walls were perfectly parallel._
   - _Two parallel planes keep a constant separation throughout space._

## Noun

4. Something that is identical or similar to another thing in essential respects.
   - Simple: Something that is very much like another thing.
   - _Historians have noted a striking parallel between the two revolutions._
   - _This crisis has no real parallel in the country's recent past._
9. A line of latitude; an imaginary circle around the Earth marking distance north or south of the equator.
   - Simple: An imaginary line around the Earth that shows how far north or south a place is.
   - _The treaty set the boundary along the 38th parallel._
   - _Each parallel marks a fixed distance from the equator._
10. An arrangement of electrical components in which current divides and flows along two or more separate paths.
   - Simple: A way of connecting electrical parts so the current can flow along more than one path.
   - _Connecting the resistors in parallel reduces the total resistance._
   - _Each branch of the parallel carries a share of the total current._
11. A comparison made between two things, especially a detailed tracing of their similarities.
   - Simple: A comparison that points out how two things are alike.
   - _The essay draws a careful parallel between the two political movements._
   - _Critics often draw a parallel between the two composers' styles._
15. Any one of a set of lines that run alongside each other without meeting.
   - Simple: A line that runs beside another without ever meeting it.
   - _She added a parallel to balance the design._
   - _The two parallels never met no matter how far they extended._
20. Sameness of direction with another line; a course running alongside it.
   - Simple: The same direction as another line, running beside it.
   - _The two boundary walls maintain an exact parallel along their length._
   - _Survey the new road so it holds a true parallel with the coastline._
21. A reference mark of two vertical lines placed in the text to direct the reader to a correspondingly marked note in the margin or at the foot of the page.
   - Simple: A printed mark of two upright lines, used to point readers to a note.
   - _The typesetter inserted a parallel to mark the next annotation on the page._
   - _Each parallel in the old text guided readers to a comment at the foot of the page._
22. A long trench dug by a besieging force around a fortress, running roughly parallel to its outer defenses and used to shelter troops supporting the attacking guns.
   - Simple: A long trench dug by attackers around a fort, used to protect soldiers.
   - _The engineers opened the first parallel under cover of darkness, several hundred yards from the ramparts._
   - _As the siege wore on, the attackers pushed a second parallel closer to the bastion._

## Verb

5. Of a path or line, to run alongside something else while keeping the same distance from it.
   - Simple: To run next to something in the same direction.
   - _The new trail parallels the coastline for several miles._
   - _Two fresh fences parallel the old boundary line._
6. Of a process or development, to correspond to or closely resemble something else.
   - Simple: To be very similar to another process or set of events.
   - _Her rise to fame parallels his own early success._
   - _The events in the second half parallel those in the first._
12. To equal, match, or correspond to something else.
   - Simple: To be equal to or match something else closely.
   - _Her achievements parallel those of the greatest athletes in history._
   - _His career path parallels her own in many ways._
13. To compare or liken one thing to another.
   - Simple: To compare one thing to another, showing how they are alike.
   - _Critics parallel his rise to power with that of earlier dictators._
   - _The essay parallels modern cities to ancient Rome._
17. To construct or position something so that it runs parallel to something else.
   - Simple: To build or set one thing so that it runs beside another without meeting.
   - _The crew paralleled the pipeline with the existing rail line._
   - _Designers parallel the second runway with the first for added safety._
18. To make something conform to another in character, motive, or aim.
   - Simple: To shape one thing so that it matches another in its qualities or goals.
   - _The director paralleled the film's structure to the novel's emotional arc._
   - _Leaders often parallel their public statements with the party's official line._
19. To put something forward as a parallel case or example.
   - Simple: To bring up one thing as an example that matches another.
   - _Historians parallel earlier revolutions when explaining recent uprisings._
   - _To strengthen the point, he paralleled a well-known legal precedent._

## Adverb

14. In a manner showing a parallel relationship; side by side along the same course.
   - Simple: In a way that runs side by side without ever meeting.
   - _The two roads run parallel for several miles before splitting apart._
   - _The new cable was laid parallel to the existing one._

## Origin

From Middle French parallèle and its Latin source parallēlus. The verb form developed from the noun.

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