Main Entry:

par·al·lel·ism

Pronunciation:

\ˈpa-rə-ˌle-ˌli-zəm, -lə-ˌli-\

Function:

noun

Date:

1610

1 : the quality or state of being parallel 2 : resemblance, correspondence 3 : repeated syntactical similarities introduced for rhetorical effect 4 : a theory that mind and matter accompany one another but are not causally related 5 : the independent development of a similar trait in related species or lineages following divergence from a common ancestor