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 Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2008 8:14 am
parry • PAIR-ee • verb
1 : to ward off a weapon or blow
*2 : to evade especially by an adroit answer
Example Sentence:
The senator effectively parried all Beverly's questions about his dubious financial affairs.
Did you know?
"Parry" (which is used in fencing, among other applications) probably comes from "parez," a form of the French verb "parer," meaning "to guard or ward off." Its history can be compared with that of two other English words: "parapet" and "parasol." Those two terms go back to an Italian word ("parare") that means "to shield or guard." (A parapet shields soldiers and a parasol wards off the sun.) All three -- "parry," "parapet," and "parasol" -- can ultimately be traced to the Latin "parare," meaning "to prepare." And they're not alone. Other descendants of the Latin term include "apparatus," "disparate," "emperor," and even "prepare."
*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.
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Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 9:35 am
Thess, you look fabulous. *hugs* thank you for these.
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Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 8:24 am
which all go back to other greek based words using "para" which basically means alongside of but has developed many other connotations!
parachute
(what is that alongside of?)
paramedic, paralegal (supposedly alongside of the licensed professional but usually left to their own devices)
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