Standard Lemma guide

parcel

adv · noun · verb · 20 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • pärʹ-səl
  • Received-Pronunciation: [ˈphɑː.səɫ]
  • Canada, General-American: /ˈpɑɹsəl/
  • Canada, General-American: [ˈphɑɹ.səɫ]
  • California: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian, New-Zealand: [ˈphɐː.səɫ]
  • rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)səl
  • CMU ARPABET: P AA1 R S AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adv

Meaning 1

Part or half; in part; partially.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable, obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A package wrapped, as for shipment or transport.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • I saw a brown paper parcel on my doorstep.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: package

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

An individual consignment of cargo for shipment, regardless of size and form.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

An individual item appearing on an invoice or receipt (only in the phrase bill of parcels).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A division of land bought and sold as a unit.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • I own a small parcel of land between the refinery and the fish cannery.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: plot

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

A group of birds.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

An indiscriminate or indefinite number, measure, or quantity; a collection; a group.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

A small amount of food that has been wrapped up, for example a pastry.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

A portion of anything taken separately; a fragment of a whole; a part.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • A certain piece of land is part and parcel of another piece.
  • 1881, John Addington Symonds, The Renaissance in Italy, Volume 5, Part I, New York: Henry Holt, Chapter 1, p. 2, The parcels of the nation adopted different forms of self-government, sought divers foreign alliances.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

verb

Meaning 10

To wrap something up into the form of a package.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

verb

Meaning 11

To wrap a strip around the end of a rope.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Worm and parcel with the lay; turn and serve the other way.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

12

verb

Meaning 12

To divide and distribute by parts or portions; often with off, out or into.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

13

verb

Meaning 13

To add a parcel or item to; to itemize.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

14

noun

Meaning 14

the allotment of some amount by dividing something

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • death gets more than its share of attention from theologians

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: portion, share

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: allotment, apportionment, apportioning, allocation, parceling, parcelling, assignation

15

noun

Meaning 15

a wrapped container

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: package

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: container

Narrower terms: bundle, sheaf, pack, packet

16

noun

Meaning 16

a collection of things wrapped or boxed together

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: package, bundle, packet

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: collection, aggregation, accumulation, assemblage

Narrower terms: wisp

17

noun

Meaning 17

an extended area of land

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: tract, piece of land, piece of ground, parcel of land

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: geographical area, geographic area, geographical region, geographic region

Narrower terms: baseball diamond, diamond, infield, center field, centerfield, center, left field, leftfield, left, outfield, right field, rightfield, right, short, yard, railway yard, railyard, desert, oasis, battlefield, battleground, field of battle, field of honor, field, minefield, breeding ground, clearing, glade, field of fire, grounds, playing field, athletic field, playing area, industrial park, grassland, mud flat, parade ground, fairground, midway, fairway, park, parkland, commons, common, green, picnic area, picnic ground, public square, square, toll plaza, range, sector, site, land site, subdivision, mine field, terrain, plot, plot of land, plot of ground, patch, lot

18

verb

Meaning 18

make into a wrapped container

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: wrap, wrap up

19

verb

Meaning 19

cover with strips of canvas

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • parcel rope

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: cover

20

verb

Meaning 20

divide into parts

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The developers parceled the land

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: divide, split, split up, separate, dissever, carve up

History

Etymology

From Middle English parcel, from Old French parcelle (“a small piece or part, a parcel, a particle”), from Late Latin particella, diminutive of Latin particula (“particle”), diminutive of partem (“part, piece”). Doublet of particle.

Across languages

Translations

132 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: pako — package wrapped for shipment
  • Arabic: رِزْمَة (rizma) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Arabic: رُزْمَة (ruzma) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Arabic: طَرْد (ṭard) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Armenian: ծանրոց (canrocʻ) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Armenian: փաթեթ (pʻatʻetʻ) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Azerbaijani: bağlama — package wrapped for shipment
  • Azerbaijani: banderol — package wrapped for shipment
  • Azerbaijani: paket — package wrapped for shipment
  • Basque: pakete — package wrapped for shipment
  • Belarusian: пасы́лка (pasýlka) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Bengali: মোড়ক (mōṛok) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Bulgarian: коле́т (kolét) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Bulgarian: паке́т (pakét) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Burmese: ပါဆယ် (pahcai) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Burmese: အထုပ် (a.htup) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Catalan: paquet — package wrapped for shipment
  • Chinese Mandarin: 包裹 (bāoguǒ) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Chinese Mandarin: 郵包 /邮包 (yóubāo) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Czech: balík — package wrapped for shipment
  • Danish: pakke — package wrapped for shipment
  • Dutch: pakket — package wrapped for shipment
  • Esperanto: pakaĵo — package wrapped for shipment
  • Estonian: pakk — package wrapped for shipment
  • Finnish: paketti — package wrapped for shipment
  • French: colis — package wrapped for shipment
  • French: paquet — package wrapped for shipment
  • Georgian: ამანათი (amanati) — package wrapped for shipment
  • German: Paket — package wrapped for shipment
  • Greek: δέμα (déma) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Hebrew: חֲבִילָה (khavilá) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Hindi: पार्सल (pārsal) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Hungarian: csomag — package wrapped for shipment
  • Icelandic: pakki — package wrapped for shipment
  • Indonesian: parsel — package wrapped for shipment
  • Italian: pacchetto — package wrapped for shipment
  • Italian: plico — package wrapped for shipment
  • Japanese: 小包み (kozutsumi) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Japanese: 荷物 (nimotsu) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Japanese: 包み (tsutsumi) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Kazakh: сәлем-сауқат (sälem-sauqat) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Kazakh: сәлемдеме (sälemdeme) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Kazakh: пакет (paket) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Khmer: កញ្ចប់ (kɑɑkɑñcɑp) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Korean: 소포 (sopo) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Korean: 꾸러미 (kkureomi) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Kyrgyz: посылка (posılka) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Kyrgyz: пакет (paket) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Lao: ພັດສະດຸ (phat sa du) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Latin: fascis — package wrapped for shipment
  • Latvian: paka — package wrapped for shipment
  • Lithuanian: paketas — package wrapped for shipment
  • Macedonian: пакет (paket) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Macedonian: колет (kolet) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Malayalam: പാഴ്സൽ (pāḻsal) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Māori: mōkī — package wrapped for shipment
  • Mongolian: боодол (boodol) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Norwegian Bokmål: pakke — package wrapped for shipment
  • Persian: بسته (baste) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Dari: پارسل (pārsal) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Plautdietsch: Pak — package wrapped for shipment
  • Polish: paczka — package wrapped for shipment
  • Polish: przesyłka — package wrapped for shipment
  • Portuguese: pacote — package wrapped for shipment
  • Portuguese: encomenda — package wrapped for shipment
  • Romanian: pachet — package wrapped for shipment
  • Romanian: colet — package wrapped for shipment
  • Russian: посы́лка (posýlka) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Russian: паке́т (pakét) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Russian: бандеро́ль (bandɛrólʹ) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Serbo-Croatian: по̀шӣљка — package wrapped for shipment
  • Serbo-Croatian: pòšīljka — package wrapped for shipment
  • Slovak: balík — package wrapped for shipment
  • Slovene: pošiljka — package wrapped for shipment
  • Slovene: paket — package wrapped for shipment
  • Spanish: paquete — package wrapped for shipment
  • Spanish: encomienda — package wrapped for shipment
  • Swedish: paket — package wrapped for shipment
  • Tajik: бандерол (banderol) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Tajik: пакет (paket) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Tamil: பார்சல் (pārcal) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Thai: ห่อของ (hɔ̀ɔ-kɔ̌ɔng) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Thai: ห่อพัสดุ (hɔ̀ɔ-pát-sà-dù) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Thai: พัสดุ (pát-sà-dù) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Turkish: koli — package wrapped for shipment
  • Turkmen: paket — package wrapped for shipment
  • Ukrainian: поси́лка (posýlka) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Urdu: پارسل (pārsal) — package wrapped for shipment
  • Uzbek: posilka — package wrapped for shipment
  • Uzbek: paket — package wrapped for shipment
  • Vietnamese: gói — package wrapped for shipment
  • Vietnamese: bưu kiện — package wrapped for shipment
  • Albanian: parcelë — division of land bought and sold as a unit
  • Catalan: parcel·la — division of land bought and sold as a unit
  • Czech: parcela — division of land bought and sold as a unit
  • Dutch: perceel — division of land bought and sold as a unit
  • Finnish: tontti — division of land bought and sold as a unit
  • French: parcelle — division of land bought and sold as a unit
  • Galician: parcela — division of land bought and sold as a unit
  • German: Parzelle — division of land bought and sold as a unit
  • Hindi: भूखंड (bhūkhaṇḍ) — division of land bought and sold as a unit
  • Hungarian: parcella — division of land bought and sold as a unit
  • Indonesian: petak — division of land bought and sold as a unit
  • Italian: lotto — division of land bought and sold as a unit
  • Italian: parcella — division of land bought and sold as a unit
  • Japanese: 地割 (chiwari) — division of land bought and sold as a unit
  • Korean: 구획 (guhoek) — division of land bought and sold as a unit
  • Norwegian Bokmål: parsell — division of land bought and sold as a unit
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: parsell — division of land bought and sold as a unit
  • Polish: parcela — division of land bought and sold as a unit
  • Portuguese: lote — division of land bought and sold as a unit
  • Portuguese: terreno — division of land bought and sold as a unit
  • Romanian: parcelă — division of land bought and sold as a unit
  • Romanian: lot — division of land bought and sold as a unit
  • Russian: уча́сток (učástok) — division of land bought and sold as a unit
  • Spanish: parcela — division of land bought and sold as a unit
  • Swedish: tomt — division of land bought and sold as a unit
  • Tagalog: parsela — division of land bought and sold as a unit
  • Turkish: kesir — division of land bought and sold as a unit
  • Spanish: hatajo — indiscriminate number, collection, group
  • Bulgarian: пакетирам (paketiram) — to wrap into a package
  • Catalan: embalar — to wrap into a package
  • Catalan: empaquetar — to wrap into a package
  • Finnish: paketoida — to wrap into a package
  • French: empaqueter — to wrap into a package
  • French: emballer — to wrap into a package
  • French: envelopper — to wrap into a package
  • Italian: impacchettare — to wrap into a package
  • Malagasy: mamono — to wrap into a package
  • Portuguese: empacotar — to wrap into a package
  • Spanish: embalar — to wrap into a package
  • Spanish: parcelar — to divide and distribute by portions
Real reading context

parcel in complete knowledge articles