Parentation Par`en·ta"tion noun [ Latin
parentatio , from
parentare to offer a solemn sacrifice in honor of deceased parents. See
Parent .]
Something done or said in honor of the dead; obsequies. [ Obsolete]
Abp. Potter.
Parentele Par"en`tele` noun [ French
parentèle , Latin
parentela .]
Kinship; parentage. [ Obsolete]
Chaucer.
Parenthesis Pa·ren"the·sis noun ;
plural Parentheses . [ New Latin , from Greek ..., from ... to put in beside, insert;
para` beside + ... in + ... to put, place. See
Para- ,
En- , 2, and
Thesis .]
1. A word, phrase, or sentence, by way of comment or explanation, inserted in, or attached to, a sentence which would be grammatically complete without it. It is usually inclosed within curved lines (see def. 2 below), or dashes. "Seldom mentioned without a derogatory
parenthesis ."
Sir T. Browne. Don't suffer every occasional thought to carry you away into a long parenthesis .
Watts. 2. (Print.) One of the curved lines () which inclose a parenthetic word or phrase. »
Parenthesis , in technical grammar, is that part of a sentence which is inclosed within the recognized sign; but many phrases and sentences which are punctuated by commas are logically parenthetical. In def. 1, the phrase "by way of comment or explanation" is inserted for explanation, and the sentence would be grammatically complete without it. The present tendency is to avoid using the distinctive marks, except when confusion would arise from a less conspicuous separation.
Parenthesize Pa·ren"the·size transitive verb To make a parenthesis of; to include within parenthetical marks. Lowell.
Parenthetic, Parenthetical Par`en·thet"ic, Par`en·thet"ic·al adjective [ Confer Greek ....]
1. Of the nature of a parenthesis; pertaining to, or expressed in, or as in, a parenthesis; as, a parenthetical clause; a parenthetic remark. A parenthetical observation of Moses himself.
Hales. 2. Using or containing parentheses.
Parenthetically Par`en·thet"ic·al·ly adverb In a parenthetical manner; by way of parenthesis; by parentheses.
Parenthood Par"ent·hood noun The state of a parent; the office or character of a parent.
Parenticide Pa·ren"ti·cide noun [ Latin
parenticida a parricide;
parens parent +
caedere to kill.]
1. The act of one who kills one's own parent. [ R.]
2. One who kills one's own parent; a parricide. [ R.]
Parentless Par"ent·less adjective Deprived of parents.
Parepididymis Par·ep`i·did"y·mis noun [ New Latin See
Para- , and
Epididymis .]
(Anat.) A small body containing convoluted tubules, situated near the epididymis in man and some other animals, and supposed to be a remnant of the anterior part of the Wolffian body.
Parer Par"er noun [ From
Pare ,
transitive verb ]
One who, or that which, pares; an instrument for paring.
Parergon Pa·rer"gon noun [ Latin ]
See Parergy .
Parergy Par"er·gy noun [ Latin
parergon , Greek ...;
para` beside + ... work.]
Something unimportant, incidental, or superfluous. [ Obsolete]
Sir T. Browne.
Paresis Par"e·sis noun [ New Latin , from Greek ..., from ... to let go; ... from + ... to send.]
(Medicine) Incomplete paralysis, affecting motion but not sensation.
Parethmoid Par·eth"moid adjective [ Prefix
para- +
ethmoid .]
(Anat.) Near or beside the ethmoid bone or cartilage; -- applied especially to a pair of bones in the nasal region of some fishes, and to the ethmoturbinals in some higher animals. --
noun A parethmoid bone.
Paretic Pa·ret"ic adjective Of or pertaining to paresis; affected with paresis.
Parfay Par·fay" interj. [
Par +
fay .]
By my faith; verily. [ Obsolete]
Chaucer.
Parfit Par"fit adjective Perfect. [ Obsolete]
Chaucer.
Parfitly Par"fit·ly adverb Perfectly. [ Obsolete]
Chaucer.
Parfleche Par·fleche" noun [ Prob. through Canadian F. from Amer. Indian.]
A kind of rawhide consisting of hide, esp. of the buffalo, which has been soaked in crude wood-ash lye to remove the hairs, and then dried.
Parfocal Par·fo"cal adjective [
Pari- +
focal .]
(Opt.) With the lower focal points all in the same plane; -- said of sets of eyepieces so mounted that they may be interchanged without varying the focus of the instrument (as a microscope or telescope) with which they are used.
Parforn, Parfourn Par·forn", Par·fourn" transitive verb To perform. [ Obsolete]
Chaucer. Piers Plowman.
Pargasite Par"gas·ite noun [ So called from
Pargas , in Finland.]
(Min.) A dark green aluminous variety of amphibole, or hornblende.
Pargeboard Parge"board` noun See Bargeboard .
Parget Par"get transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Pargeted ;
present participle & verbal noun Pargeting .] [ Middle English
pargeten , also
spargeten ,
sparchen ; of uncertain origin.]
1. To coat with parget; to plaster, as walls, or the interior of flues; as, to parget the outside of their houses. Sir T. Herbert. The pargeted ceiling with pendants.
R. Latin Stevenson. 2. To paint; to cover over. [ Obsolete]
Parget Par"get intransitive verb 1. To lay on plaster. 2. To paint, as the face. [ Obsolete]
B. Jonson.
Parget Par"get noun 1. Gypsum or plaster stone. 2. Plaster, as for lining the interior of flues, or for stuccowork. Knight. 3. Paint, especially for the face. [ Obsolete]
Drayton.
Pargeter Par"get·er noun A plasterer. Johnson.
Pargeting Par"get·ing noun [ Written also
pargetting .]
Plasterwork; esp.: (a) A kind of decorative plasterwork in raised ornamental figures, formerly used for the internal and external decoration of houses. (b) In modern architecture, the plastering of the inside of flues, intended to give a smooth surface and help the draught.
Pargetory Par"get·o·ry noun Something made of, or covered with, parget, or plaster. [ Obsolete]
Milton.
Parhelic Par·he"lic adjective Of or pertaining to parhelia.
Parhelion Par·hel"ion noun ;
plural Parhelia . [ Latin
parelion , Greek ..., ...;
para` beside + ... the sun.]
A mock sun appearing in the form of a bright light, sometimes near the sun, and tinged with colors like the rainbow, and sometimes opposite to the sun. The latter is usually called an anthelion . Often several mock suns appear at the same time. Confer Paraselene .
Parhelium Par·he"li·um noun See Parhelion .
Pari- Par"i- [ Latin par , paris , equal.] A combining form signifying equal ; as, pari digitate, pari pinnate.
Pariah Pa"ri·ah noun [ From Tamil
paraiyan , plural
paraiyar , one of the low caste, from
parai a large drum, because they beat the drums at certain festivals.]
1. One of an aboriginal people of Southern India, regarded by the four castes of the Hindoos as of very low grade. They are usually the serfs of the Sudra agriculturalists. See Caste . Balfour (Cyc. of India). 2. An outcast; one despised by society. Pariah dog (Zoology) ,
a mongrel race of half-wild dogs which act as scavengers in Oriental cities. --
Pariah kite (Zoology) ,
a species of kite ( Milvus govinda ) which acts as a scavenger in India.
Parial Pa·ri"al noun See Pair royal , under Pair , noun
Parian Pa"ri·an adjective [ Latin
Parius .]
Of or pertaining to Paros, an island in the Ægean Sea noted for its excellent statuary marble; as, Parian marble. Parian chronicle ,
a most ancient chronicle of the city of Athens, engraved on marble in the Isle of Paros, now among the Arundelian marbles.
Parian Pa"ri·an noun 1. A native or inhabitant of Paros. 2. A ceramic ware, resembling unglazed porcelain biscuit, of which are made statuettes, ornaments, etc.
Paridigitata Par`i·dig`i·ta"ta noun plural [ New Latin See
Pari- , and
Digitate .]
(Zoology) Same as Artiodactyla .
Paridigitate Par`i·dig"i·tate adjective (Anat.) Having an even number of digits on the hands or the feet. Qwen.
Paries Pa"ri·es noun ;
plural Parietes . [ See
Parietes .]
(Zoology) The triangular middle part of each segment of the shell of a barnacle.
Parietal Pa·ri"e·tal adjective [ Latin
parietalis , from
paries ,
-ietis , a wall: confer French
pariétal . Confer
Parietary ,
Pellitory .]
1. Of or pertaining to a wall; hence, pertaining to buildings or the care of them. 2. Resident within the walls or buildings of a college. At Harvard College, the officers resident within the college walls constitute a permanent standing committee, called the Parietal Committee.
B. H. Hall (1856). 3. (Anat.) (a) Of pertaining to the parietes. (b) Of, pertaining to, or in the region of, the parietal bones, which form the upper and middle part of the cranium, between the frontals and occipitals. 4. (Botany) Attached to the main wall of the ovary, and not to the axis; -- said of a placenta.
Parietal Pa·ri"e·tal noun 1. (Anat.) One of the parietal bones. 2. (Zoology) One of the special scales, or plates, covering the back of the head in certain reptiles and fishes.
Parietary Pa·ri"e·ta·ry adjective See Parietal , 2.
Parietary Pa·ri"e·ta·ry noun [ Latin
parietaria , from
parietarius parietal. Confer
Pellitory ,
Parietal .]
(Botany) Any one of several species of Parietaria . See 1st Pellitory .
Parietes Pa·ri"e·tes noun plural [ Latin
paries a wall.]
1. (Anat.) The walls of a cavity or an organ; as, the abdominal parietes ; the parietes of the cranium. 2. (Botany) The sides of an ovary or of a capsule.
Parietic Pa`ri·et"ic adjective (Chemistry) Pertaining to, or designating, an acid found in the lichen Parmelia parietina , and called also chrysophanic acid .
Parietine Pa·ri"e·tine noun [ Latin
parietinus parietal: confer
parietinae ruined walls.]
A piece of a fallen wall; a ruin. [ Obsolete]
Burton.
Parieto- Pa·ri"e·to- (Anat.) A combining form used to indicate connection with , or relation to , the parietal bones or the parietal segment of the skull ; as, the parieto -mastoid suture.
Parigenin Pa·rig"e·nin noun [
Pari llin +
-gen +
-in .]
(Chemistry) A curdy white substance, obtained by the decomposition of parillin.