Etymologically
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par

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 13:21. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /pɑː/ (UK); /pɑɹ/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin par (“equal, well-matched; as a noun, that which is equal, equality”),[2][3][4][5] a word of unknown and disputed origin;[3] Watkins suggests PIE Proto-Indo-European *pere- (“to grant, allot”), with a suggestion of reciprocity.[3] It is a doublet of peer.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Equality of value between currencies: 1622;[2][6] MWU dates the word to 1601.[5] Equality of value or standing is from 1662.[2][6]

Semantic evolution

Equality between the market and face value of shares is from 1726.[6] An average or usual amount or condition, as in on a par, below par and up to par, is first recorded in Sterne's Tristram Shandy (1767).[2][3] In golf, the standard score for a hole or course, representing good play, is attested by 1898,[3][2] and par for the course, what can be expected, by 1928.[3]

Timeline

  • 1622 – the rate of exchange of currencies.[2][6]
  • 1662 – equal standing.[2][6]
  • 1767 – an average condition.[2][3]
  • 1898 – in golf.[3]
  • 1928 – par for the course.[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. (golf) The number of strokes a good player should need for a hole or course.
  2. The usual or expected standard: feeling below par.
  3. An equal level or footing: on a par with.
  4. (finance) The face value of a share or bond.

Word family

  • no-par
  • subpar
  • par value

Usage notes

The French preposition par, by, for, appears in borrowed phrases and in words such as parboil and pardon.[3][7]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press