Webster's Unabridged Dictionary - Letter P - Page 12
Papaveraceae (n.) 罌粟科 The Papaveraceae, are an economically important family of about 42 genera and approximately 775 known species [2] of flowering plants in the order Ranunculales, informally known as the poppy family. The family is cosmopolitan, occurring in temperate and subtropical climates (mostly in the northern hemisphere), but almost unknown in the tropics. Most are herbaceous plants, but a few are shrubs and small trees. The family currently includes two groups that have been considered to be separate families: Fumariaceae and Pteridophyllaceae.
Papaveraceae (prop. n.) A natural family of herbs or shrubs having milky and often colored juices and capsular fruits.
Syn: family Papaveraceae, poppy family.
Papaveraceae (n.) Herbs or shrubs having milky and often colored juices and capsular fruits [syn: Papaveraceae, family Papaveraceae, poppy family].
Papaveraceous (a.) (Bot.) [植] 罌粟科的 Of, pertaining to, or resembling, a natural order of plants ({Papaveraceae) of which the poppy, the celandine, and the bloodroot are well-known examples.
Papaverine (n.) (Chem.) An alkaloid found in opium. It has a weaker therapeutic action than morphine.
Papaverine (n.) An alkaloid medicine (trade name Kavrin) obtained from opium; used to relax smooth muscles; it is nonaddictive [syn: papaverine, Kavrin].
Papaverous (a.) Of or pertaining to the poppy; of the nature of the poppy. -- Sir T. Browne.
Papaw (n.) (Bot.) Same as papaya, senses 1 and 2.
Asimina ({Asimina triloba"> 2. (Bot.) A tree of the genus Asimina ({Asimina triloba), growing in the western and southern parts of the United States, and producing a sweet edible fruit; also, the fruit itself. -- Gray.
Papaya (n.) (Bot.) A tree ({Carica Papaya) of tropical America, belonging to the order Passiflore[ae]; called also papaw and pawpaw. It has a soft, spongy stem, eighteen or twenty feet high, crowned with a tuft of large, long-stalked, palmately lobed leaves. The milky juice of the plant is said to have the property of making meat tender.
Papaya (n.) The fruit of the papaya tree; it is a dull orange-colored, melon-shaped fruit, which is eaten both raw and cooked or pickled. The fruit contains papain, a protease.
Papaw (n.) Small tree native to the eastern United States having oblong leaves and fleshy fruit [syn: pawpaw, papaw, papaw tree, Asimina triloba].
Papaw (n.) Fruit with yellow flesh; related to custard apples [syn: papaw, pawpaw].
Papboat (n.) A kind of sauce boat or dish.
Papboat (n.) (Zool.) A large spiral East Indian marine shell ({Turbinella rapha); -- so called because used by native priests to hold the oil for anointing.
Pape (n.) A spiritual father; specifically, the pope. [Obs.]
Papejay (n.) A popinjay. [Obs.] -- Chaucer.
Paper (n.) A substance in the form of thin sheets or leaves intended to be written or printed on, or to be used in wrapping. It is made of rags, straw, bark, wood, or other fibrous material, which is first reduced to pulp, then molded, pressed, and dried.
Paper (n.) A sheet, leaf, or piece of such substance.
Paper (n.) A printed or written instrument; a document, essay, or the like; a writing; as, a paper read before a scientific society.
They brought a paper to me to be signed. -- Dryden.
Paper (n.) A printed sheet appearing periodically; a newspaper; a journal; as, a daily paper.
Paper (n.) Negotiable evidences of indebtedness; notes; bills of exchange, and the like; as, the bank holds a large amount of his paper.
Paper (n.) Decorated hangings or coverings for walls, made of paper. See Paper hangings, below.
Paper (n.) A paper containing (usually) a definite quantity; as, a paper of pins, tacks, opium, etc.
Paper (n.) A medicinal preparation spread upon paper, intended for external application; as, cantharides paper.
Paper (n.) pl. Documents establishing a person's identity, or status, or attesting to some right, such as the right to drive a vehicle; as, the border guard asked for his papers.
Note: Paper is manufactured in sheets, the trade names of which, together with the regular sizes in inches, are shown in the following table. But paper makers vary the size somewhat.
Note: In the manufacture of books, etc., a sheet, of whatever size originally, is termed, when folded once, a folio; folded twice, a quarto, or 4to; three times, an octavo, or 8vo; four times, a sextodecimo, or 16mo; five times, a 32mo; three times, with an offcut folded twice and set in, a duodecimo, or 12mo; four times, with an offcut folded three times and set in, a 24mo.
Note: Paper is often used adjectively or in combination, having commonly an obvious signification; as, paper cutter or paper-cutter; paper knife, paper-knife, or paperknife; paper maker, paper-maker, or papermaker; paper mill or paper-mill; paper weight, paper-weight, or paperweight, etc.
Business paper, Checks, notes, drafts, etc., given in payment of actual indebtedness; -- opposed to accommodation paper.
Fly paper, Paper covered with a sticky preparation, -- used for catching flies.
Laid paper. See under Laid.
Paper birch (Bot.), The canoe birch tree ({Betula papyracea).
Paper blockade, An ineffective blockade, as by a weak naval force.
Paper boat (Naut.), A boat made of water-proof paper.
Paper car wheel (Railroad), A car wheel having a steel tire, and a center formed of compressed paper held between two plate-iron disks. -- Forney.
Paper credit, Credit founded upon evidences of debt, such as promissory notes, duebills, etc.
Paper hanger, One who covers walls with paper hangings.
Paper hangings, Paper printed with colored figures, or otherwise made ornamental, prepared to be pasted against the walls of apartments, etc.; wall paper.
Paper house, An audience composed of people who have come in on free passes. [Cant]
Paper money, Notes or bills, usually issued by government or by a banking corporation, promising payment of money, and circulated as the representative of coin.
Paper mulberry. (Bot.) See under Mulberry.
Paper muslin, Glazed muslin, used for linings, etc.
Paper
nautilus.
(Zool.) See Argonauta.
Paper reed (Bot.), The papyrus.
Paper sailor. (Zool.) See Argonauta.
Paper stainer, One who colors or stamps wall paper. -- De Colange.
Paper wasp (Zool.), Any wasp which makes a nest of paperlike material, as the yellow jacket.
Paper weight, Any object used as a weight to prevent loose papers from being displaced by wind, or otherwise.
On paper. (a) In writing; as, I would like to see that on paper.
On paper. (b) In theory, though not necessarily in paractice.
On paper. (c) In the design state; planned, but not yet put into practice.
Parchment paper. See Papyrine.
Tissue paper, Thin, gauzelike paper, such as is used to protect engravings in books.
Wall paper. Same as Paper hangings, above.
Waste paper, Paper thrown aside as worthless or useless, except for uses of little account.
Wove paper, A writing paper with a uniform surface, not ribbed or watermarked.
Paper tiger, A person or group that appears to be powerful and dangerous but is in fact weak and ineffectual.
Paper (a.) Of or pertaining to paper; made of paper; resembling paper.
Paper (a.) Existing only on paper; unsubstantial; having very overrated power; as, a paper box; a paper army; a paper tiger.
Papered (imp. & p. p.) of Paper.
Papering (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Paper.
Paper (v. t.) To cover or line with paper, especially with wallpaper; to furnish with paper hangings; to wallpaper; as, to paper a room or a house.
Paper (v. t.) To fold or inclose in paper.
Paper (v. t.) To put on paper; to make a memorandum of. [Obs.]
Poonah painting, () A style of painting, popular in England in the 19th century, in which a thick opaque color is applied without background and with scarcely any shading, to thin paper, producing flowers, birds, etc., in imitation of Oriental work.
Note: Hence:
Poonah brush,
Paper,
Painter, etc.
Paper (n.) A material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses.
Paper (n.) An essay (especially one written as an assignment); "he got an A on his composition" [syn: composition, paper, report, theme].
Paper (n.) A daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements; "he read his newspaper at breakfast" [syn: newspaper, paper].
Paper (n.) A medium for written communication; "the notion of an office running without paper is absurd."
Paper (n.) A scholarly article describing the results of observations or stating hypotheses; "he has written many scientific papers."
Paper (n.) A business firm that publishes newspapers; "Murdoch owns many newspapers" [syn: newspaper, paper, newspaper publisher].
Paper (n.) The physical object that is the product of a newspaper publisher; "when it began to rain he covered his head with a newspaper" [syn: newspaper, paper].
Paper (v.) Cover with paper; "paper the box."
Paper (v.) Cover with wallpaper [syn: wallpaper, paper].
Paper, () The expression in the Authorized Version (Isa. 19:7), "the paper reeds by the brooks," is in the Revised Version more correctly "the meadows by the Nile." The words undoubtedly refer to a grassy place on the banks of the Nile fit for pasturage.
In 2 John 1:12 the word is used in its proper sense. The material so referred to was manufactured from the papyrus, and hence its name. The papyrus (Heb. gome) was a kind of bulrush (q.v.). It is mentioned by Job (8:11) and Isaiah (35:7). It was used for many purposes. This plant (Papyrus Nilotica) is now unknown in Egypt; no trace of it can be found. The unaccountable disappearance of this plant from Egypt was foretold by Isaiah (19:6, 7) as a part of the divine judgment on that land. The most extensive papyrus growths now known are in the marshes at the northern end of the lake of Merom.
Paperweight (n.) See under Paper, n.
Paperweight (n.) A weight used to hold down a stack of papers.
Papery (a.) Like paper; having the thinness or consistence of paper. -- Gray.
Papery (a.) Thin and paperlike; "papery leaves"; "wasps that make nests of papery material."
Papery (a.) Of or like paper [syn: chartaceous, papery, paperlike].
Papescent (a.) Containing or producing pap; like pap. [R.] -- Arbuthnot.
Papess (n.) A female pope; i. e., the fictitious pope Joan. [Obs.] -- Bp. Hall.
Papeterie (n.) A case or box containing paper and materials for writing.
Paphian (a.) Of or pertaining to Paphos, an ancient city of Cyprus, having a celebrated temple of Venus; hence, pertaining to Venus, or her rites.
Paphian (n.) A native or inhabitant of Paphos.
Papier-mache (n.) A hard and strong substance made of a pulp from paper, mixed with sise or glue, etc. It is formed into various articles, usually by means of molds.
Papier-mache (n.) A substance made from paper pulp that can be molded when wet and painted when dry [syn: papier-mache, paper-mache].
Papilio (n.) (Zool.) A genus of butterflies.
Note: Formerly it included numerous species which are now placed in other genera. By many writers it is now restricted to the swallow-tailed butterflies, like Papilio polyxenes, syn. Papilio asterias, and related species.
Papilionaceous (a.) Resembling the butterfly.
Papilionaceous (a.) (Bot.) Having a winged corolla somewhat resembling a butterfly, as in the blossoms of the bean and pea.
Papilionaceous (a.) (Bot.) Belonging to that suborder of leguminous plants (Papilionaceae) which includes the bean, pea, vetch, clover, and locust.
Papiliones (n. pl.) (Zool.) The division of Lepidoptera which includes the butterflies.
Papilionides (n. pl.) [NL.] (Zool.) The typical butterflies.
Papillae (n. pl. ) of Papilla.
Papilla (n.) Any minute nipplelike projection; as, the papillae of the tongue.
Papilla (n.) (Botany) A tiny outgrowth on the surface of a petal or leaf.
Papilla (n.) A small nipple-shaped protuberance concerned with taste, touch, or smell; "the papillae of the tongue."
Papilla (n.) A small projection of tissue at the base of a hair or tooth or feather.
Papillar (a.) Same as Papillose.
Papillary (a.) Of, pertaining to, or resembling, a papilla or papillae; bearing, or covered with, papillae; papillose.
Papillary (a.) Of or relating to or resembling papilla [syn: papillary, papillose].
Papillate (v. t. & i.) To cover with papillae; to take the form of a papilla, or of papillae.
Papillate (a.) Same as Papillose.
Papillate (a.) Resembling or covered with papillae.
Papilliform (a.) Shaped like a papilla; mammilliform.
Papilliform (a.) Shaped like a papilla.
Papillomata (n. pl. ) of Papilloma.
Papilloma (n.) (Med.) A tumor formed by hypertrophy of the papillae of the skin or mucous membrane, as a corn or a wart. -- Quain.
Papilloma (n.) A benign epithelial tumor forming a rounded mass [syn: papilloma, villoma, papillary tumor, papillary tumour].
Papillomatous (a.) (Med.) Of, pertaining to, or consisting of, papillomata.
Papillose (a.) Covered with, or bearing, papillae; resembling papillae; papillate; papillar; papillary.
Papillose (a.) Of or relating to or resembling papilla [syn: papillary, papillose].
Papillote (n.) A small piece of paper on which women roll up their hair to make it curl; a curl paper.
Papillous (a.) Papillary; papillose.
Papillulate (a.) (Zool.) Having a minute papilla in the center of a larger elevation or depression.
Papion (n.) (Zool.) A West African baboon ({Cynocephalus sphinx), allied to the chacma. Its color is generally chestnut, varying in tint.
Papism (n.) Popery; -- an offensive term. -- Milton.
Papism (n.) The beliefs and practices of the Catholic Church based in Rome [syn: Romanism, Roman Catholicism, papism].
Papism (n.) Offensive terms for the practices and rituals of the Roman Catholic Church [syn: popery, papism].
Papist (n.) (亦作P-)【貶】天主教徒 A Roman catholic; one who adheres to the Church of Rome and the authority of the pope; -- an offensive designation applied to Roman Catholics by their opponents. Papistic
Papist (a.) 天主教的 Of or relating to or supporting Romanism; "the Roman Catholic Church" [syn: Roman, R.C., Romanist, romish, Roman Catholic, popish, papist, papistic, papistical].
Papist (n.) An offensive term for Roman Catholics; originally, a Roman Catholic who was a strong advocate of the papacy.
Papistic (a.) Alt. of Papistical.
Papistical (a.) Of or pertaining to the Church of Rome and its doctrines and ceremonies; pertaining to popery; popish; -- used disparagingly. "The old papistic worship." -- T. Warton. -- Pa*pis"tic*al*ly, adv.
Papistical (a.) Of or relating to or supporting Romanism; "the Roman Catholic Church" [syn: Roman, R.C., Romanist, romish, Roman Catholic, popish, papist, papistic, papistical].
Papistry (n.) The doctrine and ceremonies of the Church of Rome; popery. [R.] -- Whitgift.
Papized (a.) Conformed to popery. [Obs.] "Papized writers." -- Fuller.
Papoose (n.) A babe or young child of Indian parentage in North America.
Papoose (n.) An American Indian infant [syn: papoose, pappoose].
Pappiform (a.) (Bot.) Resembling the pappus of composite plants.
Pappoose (n.) Same as Papoose. papooseroot.
Pappoose (n.) An American Indian infant [syn: papoose, pappoose].
Pappose (a.) (Bot.) Furnished with a pappus; downy.
Pappose (a.) (Of plants such as dandelions and thistles) having pappi or tufts of featherlike hairs or delicate bristles.
Pappous (a.) (Bot.) Pappose.
Pappus (n.) (Bot.) The hairy or feathery appendage of the achenes of thistles, dandelions, and most other plants of the order Compositae; also, the scales, awns, or bristles which represent the calyx in other plants of the same order.
Pappus (n.) Calyx composed of scales or bristles or featherlike hairs in plants of the Compositae such as thistles and dandelions.
Pappy (a.) Like pap; soft; succulent; tender. -- Ray.
Papuan (a.) Of or pertaining to Papua.
Papuars (n. pl.; sing. Papuan.) (Ethnol.) The native black race of Papua or New Guinea, and the
adjacent islands.
Papuan (a.) Of or relating to Papua or its people or language; "Papuan native crafts"; "Papuan vowels."
Papuan (n.) A native or inhabitant of Papua New Guinea or New Guinea.
Papuan (n.) Any of the indigenous languages spoken in Papua New Guinea or New Britain or the Solomon Islands that are not Malayo-Polynesian languages [syn: Papuan, Papuan language].
Papulae (n. pl. ) of Papula.
Papula (n.) [L.] (Med.) A pimple; a small, usually conical, elevation of the cuticle, produced by congestion, accumulated secretion, or hypertrophy of tissue; a papule. -- Quain.
Papula (n.) (Zool.) One of the numerous small hollow processes of the integument between the plates of starfishes.
Papular (a.) Covered with papules.
Papular (a.) (Med.) Consisting of papules; characterized by the presence of papules; as, a papular eruption.
Papules (n. pl. ) of Papule.
Papule (n.) Same as Papula.
Papule (n.) A small inflamed elevation of skin that is nonsuppurative (as in chicken pox).
Papulose (a.) (Biol.) Having papulae; papillose; as, a papulose leaf.
Papulous (a.) Covered with, or characterized by, papulae; papulose.
Papyraceous (a.) Made of papyrus; of the consistency of paper; papery.
Papyrean (a.) Of or pertaining to papyrus, or to paper; papyraceous.
Papyrine (n.) Imitation parchment, made by soaking unsized paper in dilute sulphuric acid.
Papyrograph (n.) An apparatus for multiplying writings, drawings, etc., in which a paper stencil, formed by writing or drawing with corrosive ink, is used. The word is also used of other means of multiplying copies of writings, drawings, etc. See Copygraph, Hectograph, Manifold. [Obsolescent]
Papyrography (n.) The process of multiplying copies of writings, etc., by means of the papyrograph. -- Pap`y*ro*graph"ic, a.
Papyri (n. pl. ) of Papyrus.
Papyrus (n.) (Bot.) A tall rushlike plant ({Cyperus Papyrus) of the Sedge family, formerly growing in Egypt, and now found in Abyssinia, Syria, Sicily, etc. The stem is triangular and about an inch thick.
Papyrus (n.) The material upon which the ancient Egyptians wrote. It was formed by cutting the stem of the plant into thin longitudinal slices, which were gummed together and pressed.
Papyrus (n.) A manuscript written on papyrus; esp., pl., written scrolls made of papyrus; as, the papyri of Egypt or Herculaneum.
Paque (n.) See Pasch and Easter.
Compare: Easter
Easter (n.) An annual church festival commemorating Christ's resurrection, and occurring on Sunday, the second day after Good Friday. It corresponds to the pascha or passover of the Jews, and most nations still give it this name under the various forms of pascha, pasque, p[^a]que, or pask.
Easter (n.) The day on which the festival is observed; Easter day.
Note: Easter is used either adjectively or as the first element of a compound; as, Easter day or Easter-day, Easter Sunday, Easter week, Easter gifts, Easter eggs.
Sundays by thee more glorious break, An Easter day in every week. -- Keble.
Note: Easter day, on which the rest of the movable feasts depend, is always the first Sunday after the fourteenth day of the calendar moon which (fourteenth day) falls on, or next after, the 21st of March, according to the rules laid down for the construction of the calendar; so that if the fourteenth day happen on a Sunday, Easter day is the Sunday after. -- Eng. Cyc.
Easter dues (Ch. of Eng.), Money due to the clergy at Easter, formerly paid in communication of the tithe for personal labor and subject to exaction. For Easter dues, Easter offerings, voluntary gifts, have been substituted.
Easter egg. (a) A painted or colored egg used as a present at Easter.
Easter egg. (b) An imitation of an egg, in sugar or some fine material, sometimes made to serve as a box for jewelry or the like, used as an Easter present.
Par (n.) (Zool.) See Parr.
Par (prep.) By; with; -- used frequently in Early English in phrases taken from the French, being sometimes written as a part of the word which it governs; as, par amour, or paramour; par cas, or parcase; par fay, or parfay.
Par (n.) Equal value; equality of nominal and actual value; the value expressed on the face or in the words of a certificate of value, as a bond or other commercial paper.
Par (n.) Equality of condition or circumstances.
Par (n.) An amount which is taken as an average or mean. [Eng.]
Par (n.) (Golf) The number of strokes required for a hole or a round played without mistake, two strokes being allowed on each hole for putting. Par represents perfect play, whereas bogey makes allowance on some holes for human frailty. Thus if par for a course is 75, bogey is usually put down, arbitrarily, as 81 or 82. If par for one hole is 5, A bogey is 6, and a score of 7 strokes would be a double bogey.
At par, At the original price; neither at a discount nor at a premium; -- used especially of financial instruments, such as bonds.
Above par, At a premium.
Below par, (a) At a discount.
Below par, (b) Less than the expected or usual quality; -- of the quality of objects and of the performance of people; as, he performed below par in the game.
On a par, On a level; in the same condition, circumstances, position, rank, etc.; as, their pretensions are on a par; his ability is on a par with his ambition.
Par of exchange. See under Exchange.
Par value, Nominal value; face value; -- used especially of financial instruments, such as bonds.
Bogey (n.; pl. Bogeys.) [Also bogie and bogy, plural bogies.] A goblin; a bugbear.
Syn: bogeyman.
I have become a sort of bogey -- a kill-joy. -- Wm. Black.
Bogey (n.) (Golf) A score one stroke over par for a hole; formerly, the definition of bogey was the same as that now used for par, i.e., an ideal score or number of strokes, for each hole, against which players compete; -- it was said to be so called because assumed to be the score of an imaginary first-rate player called Colonel Bogey. Now the standard score is called par.
Bogey (n.) (Mil.) An unidentified aircraft; in combat situations, such craft not identified as friendly are assumed to be hostile.
Par (n.) (Golf) The standard number of strokes set for each hole on a golf course, or for the entire course; "a par-5 hole"; "par for this course is 72."
Par (n.) A state of being essentially equal or equivalent; equally balanced; "on a par with the best" [syn: equality, equivalence, equation, par].
Par (v.) Make a score (on a hole) equal to par.
PAR, () Portal ARchive (SAP, EP).
PAR, () Positive Acknowledgement with Retransmission [protocols].
PAR, () Project Authorization Request (IEEE).
PAR, () comm. law. Equal. It is used to denote a state of equality or equal value. Bills of exchange, stocks, and the like, are at par when they sell for their nominal value; above par, or below par, when they sell for more or less.
Para- () A prefix signifying alongside of, beside, beyond, against, amiss; as parable, literally, a placing beside; paradox, that which is contrary to opinion; parachronism.
Para- () (Chem.) A prefix denoting: (a) Likeness, similarity, or connection, or that the substance resembles, but is distinct from, that to the name of which it is prefixed; as paraldehyde, paraconine, etc.; also, an isomeric modification. (b) Specifically: (Organ. Chem.) That two groups or radicals substituted in the benzene nucleus are opposite, or in the respective positions 1 and 4; 2 and 5; or 3 and 6, as paraxylene; paroxybenzoic acid. Cf. Ortho-, and Meta-. Also used adjectively.
Para (n.) A piece of Turkish money, usually copper, the fortieth part of a piaster, or about one ninth of a cent.
Par'a (n.) The southern arm of the Amazon in Brazil; also, a seaport on this arm.
Par'a (n.) Short for Par['a] rubber. Para-anaesthesia
Parabanic (a.) (Chem.) Pertaining to, or designating, a nitrogenous acid which is obtained by the oxidation of uric acid, as a white crystalline substance ({C3N2H2O3); -- also called oxalyl urea.
Parablast (n.) (Biol.) A portion of the mesoblast (of peripheral origin) of the developing embryo, the cells of which are especially concerned in forming the first blood and blood vessels. -- C. S. Minot.
Parablastic (a.) (Biol.) Of or pertaining to the parablast; as, the parablastic cells.
Parable (v. t.) To represent by parable. [R.]
Which by the ancient sages was thus parabled. -- Milton.
Parable (a.) Procurable. [Obs.] -- Sir T. Browne.
Parable (n.) A comparison; a similitude; specifically, a short fictitious narrative of something which might really occur in life or nature, by means of which a moral is drawn; as, the parables of Christ. -- Chaucer.
Declare unto us the parable of the tares. -- Matt. xiii. 36.
Syn: See Allegory, and Note under Apologue.
Parable (n.) A short moral story (often with animal characters) [syn: fable, parable, allegory, apologue].
Parable (n.) (New Testament) Any of the stories told by Jesus to convey his religious message; "the parable of the prodigal son."
Parable, () (Gr. parabole), A placing beside; a comparison; equivalent to the Heb. mashal, a similitude. In the Old Testament this is used to denote (1) a proverb (1 Sam. 10:12; 24:13; 2 Chr. 7:20), (2) a prophetic utterance (Num. 23:7; Ezek. 20:49), (3) an enigmatic saying (Ps. 78:2; Prov. 1:6). In the New Testament, (1) a proverb (Mark 7:17; Luke 4:23), (2) a typical emblem (Heb. 9:9; 11:19), (3) a similitude or allegory (Matt. 15:15; 24:32; Mark 3:23; Luke 5:36; 14:7); (4) ordinarily, in a more restricted sense, a comparison of earthly with heavenly things, "an earthly story with a heavenly meaning," as in the parables of our Lord.
Instruction by parables has been in use from the earliest times. A large portion of our Lord's public teaching consisted of parables. He himself explains his reasons for this in his answer to the inquiry of the disciples, "Why speakest thou to them in parables?" (Matt. 13:13-15; Mark 4:11, 12; Luke 8:9, 10). He followed in so doing the rule of the divine procedures, as recorded in Matt. 13:13.
The parables uttered by our Lord are all recorded in the synoptical (i.e., the first three) Gospels. The fourth Gospel contains no parable properly so called, although the illustration of the good shepherd (John 10:1-16) has all the essential features of a parable. (See List of Parables in Appendix.)
Parabolas (n. pl. ) of Parabola.