parse

¹parse

verb \ˈpärs, chiefly British ˈpärz\

parsedpars·ing

Definition of PARSE

transitive verb

1

a : to resolve (as a sentence) into component parts of speech and describe them grammatically b : to describe grammatically by stating the part of speech and explaining the inflection and syntactical relationships

2

: to examine in a minute way : analyze critically <having trouble parsing … explanations for dwindling market shares — R. S. Anson>

intransitive verb

1

: to give a grammatical description of a word or a group of words

2

: to admit of being parsed

Examples of PARSE

1. Students were asked to parse the sentence.
2. Economists parsed the census data.

Origin of PARSE

Latin pars orationis part of speech

First Known Use: circa 1553

Other Grammar and Linguistics Terms

ablaut, allusion, anacoluthon, diacritic, gerund, idiom, infinitive, metaphor, semiotics, simile

Rhymes with PARSE

farce, sparse