▪ I. † pareil, a. and n. Obs.
Forms: 5 pareille, -eile, -eylle, parelle, parail, parayl, -le, -lle, 6 pareyl, 7 pareil.
[a. F. pareil adj. and n., like, equal (12th c. in Hatz.-Darm.) = Pr. parelh, Sp. parejo, It. parecchio ‘equal, euen, like’ (Florio):—late pop.L. *pariculum dim. of par equal.]
A. adj. Equal.
| 1470–85 Malory Arthur v. ii, Vnto yow is none lyke ne pareylle in Crystendome. 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg., Who is he that is founde paraylle or lyke to thys sacrefyse. 1610 G. Fletcher Christ's Vict. i. lxxviii, Was never sight of pareil fame. |
B. n. a. Equality. b. A mate, fellow, companion. c. An equal, a match.
| a 1450 Knt. de la Tour (1868) 61 She beleuid for to haue pareille to God. c 1460 J. Russell Bk. Nurture 343 Suffere youre parelle to stond stille to þe botom. c 1495 Epitaffe, etc. in Skelton's Wks. (1843) II. 392 Whos parayl alyue thou can not fynde. 1512 Helyas in Thoms Prose Rom. (1828) III. 51 He ne knew his pareyl in prudence of understanding. 1638 Jer. Taylor Serm. Anniv. Gunpowder Tr. 7 We shall quickly finde out more then a pareil for S. Iames and S. Iohn the Boanerges of my Text. |
▪ II. pareil
obs. form of parrel.