parallel

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   (of lines or surfaces) Always the same distance apart and never meeting.

   The two railway tracks run parallel to each other.

2. 2
   noun

   A similarity or comparison between two things.

   There are clear parallels between the two writers' early lives.

3. 3
   verb

   To be similar to or match something else.

   His career closely parallels that of his father.

4. 4
   adj

   (of computing) Doing several operations at the same time.

   The supercomputer uses parallel processing to speed up the calculations.

From Middle French parallèle and its etymon Latin parallēlus, parallēlos. The verb is from the noun. By surface analysis, par- + all- + -el.

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