Par"cel (?), n. [F. parcelle a
small part, fr. (assumed) LL. particella, dim. of L.
pars. See Part, n., and cf.
Particle.] 1. A portion of anything taken
separately; a fragment of a whole; a part. [Archaic] "A
parcel of her woe." Chaucer.
Two parcels of the white of an egg.
Arbuthnot.
The parcels of the nation adopted different
forms of self-government.
J. A. Symonds.
2. (Law) A part; a portion; a piece;
as, a certain piece of land is part and parcel of another
piece.
3. An indiscriminate or indefinite number,
measure, or quantity; a collection; a group.
This youthful parcel
Of noble bachelors stand at my disposing.
Shak.
4. A number or quantity of things put up
together; a bundle; a package; a packet.
'Tis like a parcel sent you by the
stage.
Cowper.
Bill of parcels. See under 6th
Bill. -- Parcel office, an office
where parcels are received for keeping or forwarding and
delivery. -- Parcel post, that department
of the post office concerned with the collection and transmission of
parcels. -- Part and parcel. See under
Part.
Par"cel, v. t. [imp. & p.
p. Parceled (?) or Parcelled; p. pr. &
vb. n. Parceling or Parcelling.]
1. To divide and distribute by parts or
portions; -- often with out or into. "Their woes
are parceled, mine are general." Shak.
These ghostly kings would parcel out my
power.
Dryden.
The broad woodland parceled into
farms.
Tennyson.
2. To add a parcel or item to; to
itemize. [R.]
That mine own servant should
Parcel the sum of my disgraces by
Addition of his envy.
Shak.
3. To make up into a parcel; as, to
parcel a customer's purchases; the machine parcels yarn,
wool, etc.
To parcel a rope (Naut.), to wind
strips of tarred canvas tightly arround it. Totten. --
To parcel a seam (Naut.), to cover it
with a strip of tarred canvas.
Par"cel, a. & adv. Part or half; in
part; partially. Shak. [Sometimes hyphened with the word
following.]
The worthy dame was parcel-blind.
Sir W. Scott.
One that . . . was parcel-bearded [partially
bearded].
Tennyson.
Parcel poet, a half poet; a poor poet.
[Obs.] B. Jonson.
