Etymology : Middle English, from Middle French, from Vulgar Latin particella, from Latin particula small part; more at PARTICLE
Pronunciation : pär-s&l
Function : noun
Date : 14th century
1. (British) package, bundle; group, gang; field, plot of land, yard. pack, bundle; divide, partition; wrap, cover. parcel\par"cel\ , n. [f. parcelle a small part, fr. (assumed) ll. particella, dim. of l. pars. see:
part, n., and cf. particle.].
2. a portion of anything taken separately; a fragment of a whole; a part. [archaic] "a parcel of her woe." two parcels of the white of an egg. the parcels of the nation adopted different forms of self-government. a. symonds.
3. (law) a part; a portion; a piece; as, a certain piece of land is part and parcel of another piece.
4. an indiscriminate or indefinite number, measure, or quantity; a collection; a group. this youthful parcel of noble bachelors stand at my disposing.
5. a number or quantity of things put up together; a bundle; a package; a packet. 'tis like a parcel sent you by the stage.
6. A portion of anything taken separately; a fragment of a whole; a part.
7. A part; a portion; a piece; as, a certain piece of land is part and parcel of another piece.
8. An indiscriminate or indefinite number, measure, or quantity; a collection; a group.
9. A number or quantity of things put up together; a bundle; a package; a packet.
10. To divide and distribute by parts or portions; often with out or into.
11. To add a parcel or item to; to itemize.
12. To make up into a parcel; as, to parcel a customer's purchases; the machine parcels yarn, wool, etc.
13. Part or half; in part; partially.
14. Shak. [Sometimes hyphened with the word following.] the result of parcelling out or sharing; "death gets more than its share of attention from theologicans" make into a wrapped container cover with strips of canvas; "parcel rope" divide into parts; "The developers parceled the land".
15. 1. A parcel is something wrapped in paper, usually so that it can be sent to someone by post. parcels of food and clothing He had a large brown paper parcel under his left arm.
16. A parcel of land is a piece of land. These small parcels of land were purchased for the most part by local people.
17. emphasis If you say that something is part and parcel of something else, you are emphasizing that it is involved or included in it. Payment was part and parcel of carrying on insurance business within the UK. parcelled parcelling parceled parceling parcel off to divide something into small parts so that it can be sold.