pari

pari¹ equal

Etymology tree of pari¹

inherited borrowed derived

Latin pār

Italian paio

Italian pari

Spanish par

Dutch paar

English par

From the same root · pari¹

English umpire ← pār

Latin compār ← pār

Latin dispār ← pār

Latin impār ← pār

Latin paritās ← pār

Latin pariter ← pār

Pronunciation

• /ˈpa.ri/^[1]

Forms

pari (invariable)^[1] Old Italian also has pare, and a form paro is used in phrases such as a paro and paro paro.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

The word for “equal” is inherited from Latin pār (“equal, matching”), from its accusative.^[5][2][6] The Latin word is continued in the western Romance languages: French pair, Occitan par, Catalan par, Spanish par and Portuguese par.^[2][3] The old form was Old Italian pare;^[7][6] Sabatini explains the ending ⟨-i⟩ as that of the adverbial use, later generalized, and GRADIT suggests that the form was remade on the plural.^[7][6]

The Latin word has only one sure comparison, Umbrian pars, so it is an Italic word whose first meaning seems to have been “on the same level”.^[2][8] De Vaan finds no good etymology: the old link with Proto-Indo-European *perh₂- (“to sell”) does not fit the meaning, and an alternative is a connection with pāreō.^[8][1] DELI, Sabatini and Devoto consider an Etruscan origin, and DEI a Mediterranean one.^[5][7][9][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record, as pare, is in the Ritmo cassinese at the end of the 12th century, in the sense “equal”.^[5] The noun “one of the same rank or condition” is in Rinaldo d'Aquino, before 1250.^[5]

Semantic evolution

In the 13th and 14th centuries the word meant “equal” in rank or value: the Tesoro has Lucifer claim that he was pari a Dio, and Petrarch praises a lady ch'al mondo non ha pare (“who has no equal in the world”).^[4] Dante used it for even numbers.^[5]

Later senses are “level, without bumps or slopes” (1566), “adequate” (16th century) and, of games and bets, “ending in a draw” (1853).^[5] Modern phrases include alla pari, said of a young person who lives with a family and helps in the house for board and lodging, and pari opportunità, equal opportunities.^[10][11]

Timeline

• Late 12th century – The Ritmo cassinese has pare “equal”.^[5]
• Before 1250 – Rinaldo d'Aquino uses the noun “one of the same rank”.^[5]
• 1304–1308 – Dante uses it of even numbers, and has paritade.^[5]
• Before 1342 – Domenico Cavalca uses parimente.^[5]
• 1566 – The sense “level, even” is recorded.^[5]
• 1853 – The sense “ending in a draw” is recorded in the Tuscan proverbs.^[5]

Meanings

Adjective

1. equal, the same in quality, quantity or some feature: Le due squadre hanno lo stesso numero di soci e pari diritti.^[6][11][7]
2. Amounting to, corresponding to (pari a): Un miglio terrestre è pari a circa 1609 metri.^[6][11][12]
3. Having no debts or claims; quits: Ti ho ridato i dieci euro, adesso siamo pari.^[6][11][13]
4. (games) tied, with the same score: Al novantesimo il risultato era ancora pari.^[6][7][13]
5. level, without bumps or slopes; at the same height: un pavimento perfettamente pari.^[6][7][13]
6. (figurative) Up to, adequate to: essere pari al compito.^[6][7][13]
7. (mathematics) even, divisible by two: Il dieci è un numero pari.^[6][7][13]
8. (anatomy) Of an organ, having a symmetrical counterpart on the other side of the body.^[7]

Noun

1. A person of the same rank or condition; an equal: trattare da pari a pari, senza pari.^[6][14]

Word family

• pareggiare
• parimenti
• parificare
• parificazione
• parigrado
• parisillabo
• paripennato

pari² peer

Etymology tree of pari²

inherited borrowed derived

English peer

Italian pari

From the same root · pari²

English peerage ← peer

Pronunciation

• /ˈpa.ri/^[1]

Forms

pari m or f by sense (invariable)^[1] The paladins of Charlemagne were also called Old Italian peri.^[4][15]

Etymology

The word for “peer”, a member of the high nobility, is borrowed from English peer, according to DELI and Nocentini, who calls it a calque;^{[5][2][11][14]} Devoto–Oli and Treccani also name French pair.^{[5][2][11][14]} The English word, recorded from 1321–1322, comes from Old French per (“equal”), the Old French outcome of Latin pār.^[5][2] DEI points out that the Latin word already meant “companion of the same rank” and that the same Old French word and Old Occitan par were specialized for the companions of Charlemagne.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in Ariosto's Orlando furioso (1516), for each of the first officers of the crown who formed, with the king, the supreme court of justice: Cingonlo intorno i suoi famosi pari (“his famous peers stand round him”).^[5][4][14]

Semantic evolution

Rezasco defined the feudal peers as vassals of the same rank who had sworn homage to the same lord and judged one another.^[5] Antonio Cocchi, before 1758, used the word for a member of the British upper house.^[5] The derivative parìa, the rank of a peer, is recorded in 1849.^[5]

Timeline

• 1516 – Ariosto uses pari for Charlemagne's peers.^[5]
• Before 1758 – Antonio Cocchi uses it for a member of the House of Lords.^[5]
• 1849 – Parìa “peerage” is recorded.^[5]

Meanings

Noun

1. (history) In feudal society, a noble with the right to be judged only by those of his own rank; especially one of the paladins of Charlemagne.^[11][7][10]
2. (history) In the Lombard kingdom, a servant of the king.^[11][7]
3. (politics) A peer, a member of the British House of Lords, the Camera dei Pari.^[11][7][10]