Paraxylene noun (Chemistry) A hydrocarbon of the aromatic series obtained as a colorless liquid by the distillation of camphor with zinc chloride. It is one of the three metamers of xylene. Confer Metamer , and Xylene .

Parboil transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Parboiled ; present participle & verbal noun Parboiling .] [ Middle English parboilen , Old French parbouillir to cook well; par through (see Par ) + bouillir to boil, Latin bullire . The sense has been influenced by English part . See lst Boil .]
1. To boil or cook thoroughly. [ Obsolete] B. Jonson.

2. To boil in part; to cook partially by boiling.

Parbreak intransitive verb & t. [ Par + break .] To throw out; to vomit. [ Obsolete] Skelton.

Parbreak noun Vomit. [ Obsolete] Spenser.

Parbuckle noun (a) A kind of purchase for hoisting or lowering a cylindrical burden, as a cask. The middle of a long rope is made fast aloft, and both parts are looped around the object, which rests in the loops, and rolls in them as the ends are hauled up or payed out. (b) A double sling made of a single rope, for slinging a cask, gun, etc.

Parbuckle transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Parbuckled ; present participle & verbal noun Parbuckling .] To hoist or lower by means of a parbuckle. Totten.

Parcase adverb [ Par + case .] Perchance; by chance. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Parcel noun [ French parcelle a small part, from (assumed) Late Latin particella , dim. of Latin pars . See Part , noun , and confer Particle .]
1. A portion of anything taken separately; a fragment of a whole; a part. [ Archaic] "A parcel of her woe." Chaucer.

Two parcels of the white of an egg.

Arbuthnot.

The parcels of the nation adopted different forms of self-government.

J. A. Symonds.

2. (Law) A part; a portion; a piece; as, a certain piece of land is part and parcel of another piece.

3. An indiscriminate or indefinite number, measure, or quantity; a collection; a group.

This youthful parcel
Of noble bachelors stand at my disposing.

Shak.

4. A number or quantity of things put up together; a bundle; a package; a packet.

'Tis like a parcel sent you by the stage.

Cowper.

Bill of parcels . See under 6th Bill . -- Parcel office , an office where parcels are received for keeping or forwarding and delivery. -- Parcel post , that department of the post office concerned with the collection and transmission of parcels. -- Part and parcel . See under Part .

Parcel transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Parceled or Parcelled ; present participle & verbal noun Parceling or Parcelling .]

1. To divide and distribute by parts or portions; -- often with out or into . "Their woes are parceled , mine are general." Shak.

These ghostly kings would parcel out my power.

Dryden.

The broad woodland parceled into farms.

Tennyson.

2. To add a parcel or item to; to itemize. [ R.]

That mine own servant should
Parcel the sum of my disgraces by
Addition of his envy.

Shak.

3. To make up into a parcel; as, to parcel a customer's purchases; the machine parcels yarn, wool, etc.

To parcel a rope (Nautical) , to wind strips of tarred canvas tightly arround it. Totten. -- To parcel a seam (Nautical) , to cover it with a strip of tarred canvas.

Parcel adjective & adverb Part or half; in part; partially. Shak. [ Sometimes hyphened with the word following.]

The worthy dame was parcel -blind.

Sir W. Scott.

One that . . . was parcel -bearded [ partially bearded].

Tennyson.

Parcel poet , a half poet; a poor poet. [ Obsolete] B. Jonson.

Parcel post That branch of the post office having to do with the collection, transmission, and delivery of parcels. The British Inland Parcel Post was established in 1883. The present rates, dating from 1897, are 3d. for parcels not exceeding one pound and 1d. for each additional pound up to the limit of 10 pounds. A general parcel post was established in the United States by Act of August 24, 1912, which took effect Jan. 1, 1913. Parcels must not exceed 11 pounds in weight nor 72 inches in length and girth combined. Provision is made from insuring parcels up to $50.00, and also for sending parcels C.O.D. The rates of postage vary with the distance. See Zone , below.

Parcel-mele adverb [ See Parcel , and Meal a part.] By parcels or parts. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Parceling noun [ Written also parcelling .]

1. The act of dividing and distributing in portions or parts.

2. (Nautical) Long, narrow slips of canvas daubed with tar and wound about a rope like a bandage, before it is served; used, also, in mousing on the stayes, etc.

Parcenary noun [ See Parcener , partner .] (Law) The holding or occupation of an inheritable estate which descends from the ancestor to two or more persons; coheirship.

» It differs in many respects from joint tenancy , which is created by deed or devise. In the United States there is no essential distinction between parcenary and tenancy in common. Wharton. Kent.

Parcener noun [ Of. parçonnier , parsonnier , from parzon , parçun , parcion , part, portion, from Latin partitio a division. See Partition , and confer Partner .] (Law) A coheir, or one of two or more persons to whom an estate of inheritance descends jointly, and by whom it is held as one estate.

Parch (pärch) transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Parched ; present participle & verbal noun Parching .] [ Middle English perchen to pierce, hence used of a piercing heat or cold, Old French perchier , another form of percier , French percer . See Pierce .]
1. To burn the surface of; to scorch; to roast over the fire, as dry grain; as, to parch the skin; to parch corn.

Ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn.

Lev. xxiii. 14.

2. To dry to extremity; to shrivel with heat; as, the mouth is parched from fever.

The ground below is parched .

Dryden.

Parch intransitive verb To become scorched or superficially burnt; to be very dry. " Parch in Afric sun." Shak.

Parchedness noun The state of being parched.

Parcheesi noun See Pachisi .

Parchesi (pär*chē"zĭ) noun See Pachisi .

Parching (pärch"ĭng) adjective Scorching; burning; drying. "Summer's parching heat." Shak. -- Parch"ing*ly , adverb

Parchment (-m e nt) noun [ Middle English parchemin , perchemin , French parchemin , Late Latin pergamenum , Latin pergamena , pergamina , from Latin Pergamenus of or belonging to Pergamus an ancient city of Mysia in Asia Minor, where parchment was first used.]
1. The skin of a lamb, sheep, goat, young calf, or other animal, prepared for writing on. See Vellum .

But here's a parchment with the seal of Cæsar.

Shak.

2. The envelope of the coffee grains, inside the pulp.

Parchment paper . See Papyrine .

Parchmentize transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle -ized ; present participle & verbal noun -izing .] To convert to a parchmentlike substance, esp. by sulphuric acid.

Parcity noun [ Latin parcitas , from parcus sparing.] Sparingless. [ Obsolete]

Parclose noun [ Old French See Perclose .] (Eccl. Arch.) A screen separating a chapel from the body of the church. [ Written also paraclose and perclose .] Hook.

Parcæ noun plural [ Latin ] The Fates. See Fate , 4.

Pard (pärd) noun [ Latin pardus , Greek pa`rdos ; confer Sanskrit prdāku tiger, panther.] (Zoology) A leopard; a panther.

And more pinch-spotted make them
Than pard or cat o'mountain.

Shak.

Pardale (pär"dal) noun [ Latin pardalis , Greek pa`rdalis . Confer Pard .] (Zoology) A leopard. [ Obsolete] Spenser.

Parde, Pardie adverb or interj. [ French pardi , for par Dieu by God.] Certainly; surely; truly; verily; -- originally an oath. [ Written also pardee , pardieux , perdie , etc.] [ Obsolete]

He was, parde , an old fellow of yours.

Chaucer.

Pardine adjective (Zoology) Spotted like a pard.

Pardine lynx (Zoology) , a species of lynx ( Felis pardina ) inhabiting Southern Europe. Its color is rufous, spotted with black.

Pardo noun [ Portuguese pardao , from Sanskrit pratāpa splendor, majesty.] A money of account in Goa, India, equivalent to about 2s. 6d. sterling. or 60 cts.

Pardon noun [ French, from pardonner to pardon. See Pardon , transitive verb ]
1. The act of pardoning; forgiveness, as of an offender, or of an offense; release from penalty; remission of punishment; absolution.

Pardon , my lord, for me and for my tidings.

Shak.

But infinite in pardon was my judge.

Milton.

Used in expressing courteous denial or contradiction; as, I crave your pardon ; or in indicating that one has not understood another; as, I beg pardon .

2. An official warrant of remission of penalty.

Sign me a present pardon for my brother.

Shak.

3. The state of being forgiven. South.

4. (Law) A release, by a sovereign, or officer having jurisdiction, from the penalties of an offense, being distinguished from amenesty , which is a general obliteration and canceling of a particular line of past offenses.

Syn. -- Forgiveness; remission. See Forgiveness .

Pardon transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Pardoned ; present participle & verbal noun Pardoning .] [ Either from pardon , noun , or from French pardonner , Late Latin perdonare ; Latin per through, thoroughly, perfectly + donare to give, to present. See Par- , and Donation .]
1. To absolve from the consequences of a fault or the punishment of crime; to free from penalty; -- applied to the offender.

In this thing the Lord pardon thy servant.

2 Kings v. 18.

I pray you, pardon me; pray heartily, pardom me.

Shak.

2. To remit the penalty of; to suffer to pass without punishment; to forgive; -- applied to offenses.

I pray thee, pardon my sin.

1 S....... xv. 25.

Apollo, pardon
My great profaneness 'gainst thine oracle ...

Shak.

3. To refrain from exacting as a penalty.

I pardon thee thy life before thou ask it.

Shak.

4. To give leave (of departure) to. [ Obsolete]

Even now about it! I will pardon you.

Shak.

Pardon me , forgive me; excuse me; -- a phrase used also to express courteous denial or contradiction.

Syn. -- To forgive; absolve; excuse; overlook; remit; acquit. See Excuse .

Pardonable adjective [ Confer French pardonnable .] Admitting of pardon; not requiring the excution of penalty; venial; excusable; -- applied to the offense or to the offender; as, a pardonable fault, or culprit.

Pardonableness noun The quality or state of being pardonable; as, the pardonableness of sin. Bp. Hall.

Pardonably adverb In a manner admitting of pardon; excusably. Dryden.

Pardoner noun
1. One who pardons. Shak.

2. A seller of indulgences. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Pardoning adjective Relating to pardon; having or exercising the right to pardon; willing to pardon; merciful; as, the pardoning power; a pardoning God.

Pare transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Pared ; present participle & verbal noun Paring .] [ French parer to pare, as a horse's hoofs, to dress or curry, as, leather, to clear, as anchors or cables, to parry, ward off, from Latin parare to prepare. Confer Empire , Parade , Pardon , Parry , Prepare .]
1. To cut off, or shave off, the superficial substance or extremities of; as, to pare an apple; to pare a horse's hoof.

2. To remove; to separate; to cut or shave, as the skin, ring, or outside part, from anything; -- followed by off or away ; as; to pare off the ring of fruit; to pare away redundancies.

3. Fig.: To diminish the bulk of; to reduce; to lessen.

The king began to pare a little the privilege of clergy.

Bacon.

Paregoric adjective [ Latin paregoricus , Greek ..., from ... addressing, encouraging, soothing; para` beside + ... an assembly: confer French parégorique . See Allegory .] Mitigating; assuaging or soothing pain; as, paregoric elixir.

Paregoric noun (Medicine) A medicine that mitigates pain; an anodyne; specifically, camphorated tincture of opium; -- called also paregoric elexir .

Parelcon noun [ Greek ... to draw aside, to be redundant; para` beside + ... to draw.] (Gram.) The addition of a syllable or particle to the end of a pronoun, verb, or adverb.

Parelectronomic adjective (Physiol.) Of or relating to parelectronomy; as, the parelectronomic part of a muscle.

Parelectronomy noun [ Prefix para- + electro- + Greek ... law.] (Physiol.) A condition of the muscles induced by exposure to severe cold, in which the electrical action of the muscle is reversed.

Parella Pa`relle noun [ Confer French parelle .] (Botany) (a) A name for two kinds of dock ( Rumex Patientia and R. Hydrolapathum ). (b) A kind of lichen ( Lecanora parella ) once used in dyeing and in the preparation of litmus.

Parembole noun [ New Latin , from Greek ... an insertion beside. See Para- , and Embolus .] (Rhet.) A kind of parenthesis.

Parement noun See Parament . [ Obsolete]

Paremptosis noun [ New Latin , from Greek ... a coming in beside; para` beside + ... to fall in.] Same as Parembole .

Parenchyma noun [ New Latin , from Greek ..., from ... to pour in beside; para` beside + ... in + ... to pour: confer French parenchyme .] (Biol.) The soft celluar substance of the tissues of plants and animals, like the pulp of leaves, to soft tissue of glands, and the like.

Parenchymal adjective Of, pertaining to, or consisting of, parenchyma.