See Also: parcel(medicine)
parcel(1)(dictionary)
parcel(2)(dictionary)
Parcel - Sailing(gambling)
parcel post(dictionary)
parcel bomb(dictionary)
parcel 2, verb(dictionary)
parcel 1, noun(dictionary)
parcel-gilt(dictionary)
PARCEL, estates(law)

parcel(1) (iou)



parcel noun, adverb, & adjective. ME.
[Old & mod. French parcelle from Proto-Romance, from Latin particula PARTICLE.]
A. noun.
An item, esp. an item of an account; a detail, a particular, a point. Orig. & usu. in pl. ME-M17.
Shakespeare 1 Henry IV I will die a hundred thousand deaths Ere break the smallest parcel of this vow.
A part, portion, or division of a thing. arch. exc. as below. LME.
by parcels a part at a time, piecemeal. of a parcel with of a piece with, consonant with. part and parcel: see PART noun.
W. Cruise Franchises..which were originally parcel of the royal prerogative. M. Arnold Truth more complete than the parcel of truth any momentary individual can seize.
spec.
a. A portion or piece of land, esp. as part of an estate. LME.
American Ethnologist That land ownership is communal does not imply that the distribution of parcels is..egalitarian.
b. A small sum (of money); an instalment. L15-M18.
c. A short passage from a sacred book, esp. the Bible. L16-M17.
A separate portion of a material; a (small) piece, particle, or fragment; a (usu. small or moderate) quantity or amount. obsolete in gen. sense. LME.
b. spec. A small quantity of new-mown hay spread out to dry. dial. M19.
c. Mining. A heap or arbitrary quantity of ore etc. L19.
d. A packet of mixed diamonds offered together for sale. E20.
e. Science. A small volume of fluid forming part of a larger body of the same fluid, but considered (in calculations) as a discrete element, or physically extracted as a sample. L20.
A group, a collection; spec. (a) a small community or gathering (of people); (b) (now rare) a herd or flock of animals; (c) (now chiefly US (colloq., freq. derog.)) an indeterminate number or quantity, a lot, a bunch, (of persons, animals, or things). Cf. PASSEL. LME.
Shakespeare Love's Labour's Lost A holy parcel of the fairest dames. Addison Let posterity see their forefathers were a parcel of blockheads. A. Young Sheep are kept in small parcels.
a. An item or quantity of goods etc. wrapped up in a single (usu. fairly small) package or bundle; a package, usu. wrapped in paper, containing (an item of) goods. L17.
Defoe He sees the bills of parcels of goods bought. C. Causley A parcel at Christmastime Of socks and nutty and wine. L. Lawrence She carried a parcel under her arm.
b. A (definite) quantity of shares or a commodity dealt with in one commercial transaction; a consignment. L18.
Australian Business The failure of an agreement..to purchase a parcel of Haoma shares.
c. A large amount of money gained or lost. slang. E20.
P. G. Wodehouse Put you in the way of winning a parcel on the Mothers' Sack Race.
Law. In pl. The words in a conveyance, lease, etc., containing the description of the property dealt with. M18.
Comb.: parcel bomb: wrapped up so as to look deceptively like a parcel; parcel delivery = parcels delivery below; parcel paper stout paper, usually brown and unsized, for wrapping parcels; parcel post the branch of a postal service that deals with parcels; parcels delivery the action of, or an agency for, delivering parcels; parcel shelf, parcels shelf: on which parcels may be placed, esp. in a motor vehicle; parcel tanker a vessel designed to carry a cargo of different liquids with separate piping and tanks;
b. adverb. Partly, partially, to some degree or extent. Long used only to qualify adjectives LME.
PARCEL-GILT.
Sir W. Scott The worthy dame was parcel blind, and more than parcel deaf.
C. adjective. That is partly (what is denoted by the noun); part-time, amateur. Usu. derog. E17.
parcel bawd a part-time pimp.
L. Barry Parcel lawyer, parcel devil, all knave. J. R. Lowell Gilbert, Hawkins, Frobisher and Drake, parcel-soldiers all of them.
parceli'zation, parcellization noun the division of land into small parcels M20.
parcelize, parcellize verb trans. (rare) = PARCEL verb 1 E17.
parcellate verb trans. divide (land etc.) into separate parcels M20.
parce'llation noun L19.
parcel-wise adverb bit by bit, piecemeal M17.