Parallel
/ˈpær.ə.lel/noun
Extending in the same direction and always the same distance apart, never meeting.
Did you know?The word comes through French from Greek *parallēlos*, built from *para-* (“beside”) + *allēlōn* (“one another”), so its original sense was literally “beside each other.”
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
παράλληλος (parállēlos)
“Beside one another; running side by side.”
Late Latin
Latin
parallelus
“Parallel; side by side.”
Old French
Old French
paralel
“Side by side; parallel.”
14th Century
English
paralell / parallel
“Side by side; not meeting.”
Modern English
English
parallel
“Extending in the same direction and always the same distance apart.”
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