Word
parallel
Phoneticspar·al·lel
US/ˈpɛɹəˌɫɛɫ/
UK/pˈæɹəlˌɛl/
Definitions
01geometry/lines
adj. describing two lines that stay the same distance apart and never touch.
adj. describing lines or planes that are equidistant at all points and never intersect.
“The train tracks run parallel to each other for miles.”
“The architect ensured that the support beams remained perfectly parallel to the floor to maintain the structural integrity of the glass ceiling.”
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02similar or matching
adj. happening at the same time or being very similar.
adj. occurring simultaneously or having a similar development, nature, or tendency.
“The two countries followed parallel paths toward economic growth.”
“The researchers noted parallel developments in both test groups, despite the different environmental variables introduced at the start of the study.”
Synonyms
03computing
adj. doing many tasks at the same time using different parts of a computer.
adj. relating to the simultaneous execution of multiple operations or tasks by a computer system.
“Parallel processing allows the computer to handle complex graphics quickly.”
“By utilizing parallel computing architectures, the laboratory was able to reduce the data processing time from weeks to mere hours.”
Technical
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04a similarity
n. a way in which two things are similar or can be compared.
n. a person or thing that is similar or analogous to another; a comparison that highlights such similarities.
“It is easy to see a parallel between this movie and the book.”
“Historians often draw a parallel between the fall of the Roman Empire and the decline of modern superpowers.”
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05geography
n. an imaginary line around the Earth that is parallel to the equator.
n. an imaginary circle on the earth's surface that is parallel to the plane of the equator, marking latitude.
“The 38th parallel is a famous border between North and South Korea.”
“The expedition crossed the 45th parallel, marking the halfway point between the equator and the North Pole.”
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06to be similar to
v. to be very similar to something else or to happen at the same time.
v. to be similar to or to correspond with something; to run in the same direction as something else.
“The rise in prices parallels the increase in the cost of fuel.”
“The author's personal life often parallels the struggles of the characters in her novels, suggesting a strong autobiographical influence.”
Academic
Real-World Examples
“Educational opportunities are diverging in parallel with economic ones.” “As you’ll soon see, there are many parallels between LLMs and world models in terms of architecture and how people expect them to improve over time.” “The shell pendant is interesting because it has parallels in other sites in Catalonia, which suggests shared traditions or connections between different communities.” “The parallel experience between the young Muslim Americans and the authors of the letters was hard to miss.” Etymology
From Middle French parallèle and its etymon Latin parallēlus, parallēlos. The verb is from the noun. By surface analysis, par- + all- + -el.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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englishreference.com/q/parallel