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parcel out

 - 4 dictionary results

par⋅cel

[pahr-suhl] noun, verb, -celed, -cel⋅ing or (especially British) -celled, -cel⋅ling, adverb
–noun
1. an object, article, container, or quantity of something wrapped or packed up; small package; bundle.
2. a quantity or unit of something, as of a commodity for sale; lot.
3. a group, collection, or assemblage of persons or things.
4. a distinct, continuous portion or tract of land.
5. a part, portion, or fragment.
–verb (used with object)
6. to divide into or distribute in parcels or portions (usually fol. by out).
7. to make into a parcel or wrap as a parcel.
8. Nautical. to cover or wrap (a rope) with strips of canvas.
–adverb
9. Archaic. in part; partially.

Origin:
1275–1325; ME < MF parcelle < LL *particella, fresh formation for L particula; see particle, passel


1. See package. 3. batch, assortment. 6. mete, apportion, deal, allot.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Word Origin & History

parcel 
c.1303, "part" (sense preserved in phrase parcel of land), from O.Fr. parcelle "small piece, particle, parcel," from V.L. *particella, dim. of L. particula, dim. of pars (gen. partis) "part" (see part). Meaning "package" is first recorded c.1645. The verb meaning "to divide into small portions" is from 1584.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: par·cel
Pronunciation: 'pär-s&l
Function: noun
: a tract or plot of land
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Idioms & Phrases

parcel out

Divide into parts and distribute, as in She parceled out the remaining candy among the children. This idiom uses parcel in the sense of "divide into small portions." [Mid-1500s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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