parallel
UK[ˈpærəlel]US[ˈpærəˌlel]
adj
(of lines, paths, etc.) side by side and having the same distance continuously between them
adj
similar and happening at the same time
n
a person, thing, or situation that is very similar to another
n
a comparison showing similarity
v
to be similar to something; to happen at the same time as something
Morpheme Breakdown
para
allel
para
beside
allel
one another
Etymology
The word 'parallel' originates from the Greek 'parallēlos', formed from 'para' ("beside") and 'allēlōn' ("one another"). It entered English via Latin 'parallelus'. The core concept is of two lines running side-by-side, never meeting, which is a direct visual representation of the combined meaning "beside one another." This geometric sense naturally extended metaphorically to describe any two entities, events, or arguments that proceed in a similar manner without intersecting.
Analysis
Structure: para (beside) + allel (one another)
'para' is a Greek prefix meaning "beside, alongside of." 'allel' is from the Greek 'allelōn', meaning "of one another, mutual."
Examples
The two railway tracks run parallel to each other for miles.
Her career path has many parallels with my own.
The study attempts to parallel the economic growth with social development indicators.