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definitions

Parks

[pahrks]
|

noun

Gordon (Alexander Buchanan),1912–2006, U.S. photojournalist and film director.
RosaRosa Louise McCauley, 1913–2006, U.S. civil rights leader.

park

[pahrk]

noun

an area of land, usually in a largely natural state, for the enjoyment of the public, having facilities for rest and recreation, often owned, set apart, and managed by a city, state, or nation.
an enclosed area or a stadium used for sports: a baseball park.
a considerable extent of land forming the grounds of a country house.
British. a tract of land reserved for wild animals; game preserve.
Western U.S. a broad valley in a mountainous region.
a space where vehicles, especially automobiles, may be assembled or stationed.
amusement park.
theme park.
any area set aside for public recreation.
Military.
  1. the space occupied by the assembled guns, tanks, or vehicles of a military unit.
  2. the assemblage so formed.
  3. (formerly) the ammunition trains and reserve artillery of an army.
Automotive. a setting in an automatic transmission in which the transmission is in neutral and the brake is engaged.

verb (used with object)

to place or leave (a vehicle) in a certain place for a period of time.
Informal. to put, leave, or settle: Park your coat on the chair. Park yourself over there for a moment.
to assemble (equipment or supplies) in a military park.
to enclose in or as in a park.
Informal. to invest (funds) in a stock, bond, etc., considered to be a safe investment with little chance of depreciation, as during a recession or an unstable economic period, or until one finds a more profitable investment.
Aerospace. to place (a satellite) in orbit.

verb (used without object)

to park a car, bicycle, etc.
Informal. to engage in kissing and caressing in a parked car.

Origin of park

1225–75; Middle English (noun) < Old French parc enclosure < Late Latin *parricus < West Germanic *parruk (see paddock1)
Related formspark·er, nounpark·like, adjectiveo·ver·park, verbre·park, verbsu·per·park, nounun·parked, adjectivewell-parked, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for parks

lawn, square, garden, estate, plaza, place, playground, forest, maneuver, stand, meadow, woodland, esplanade, green, lot, tract, grass, grounds, parkland, seat

Examples from the Web for parks

Contemporary Examples of parks

Historical Examples of parks

  • The afternoon is far advanced—the parks and public drives are crowded.

  • With the oncoming of the parks and play-grounds, all of this, we may hope, will change.

    The Meaning of Evolution

    Samuel Christian Schmucker

  • The parks were milling with crowds who came to hear the patriotic speakers.

    The Martian Cabal

    Roman Frederick Starzl

  • Judge Parks carried a spy-glass as good as Sile's and it was up instantly.

    Two Arrows

    William O. Stoddard

  • Judge Parks was at that moment examining some bits of quartz he had picked up.

    Two Arrows

    William O. Stoddard

British Dictionary definitions for parks

Park

noun

Mungo (ˈmʌŋɡəʊ). 1771–1806, Scottish explorer. He led two expeditions (1795–97; 1805–06) to trace the course of the Niger in Africa. He was drowned during the second expedition
Nick, full name Nicholas Wulstan Park. born 1958, British animator and film director; his films include A Grand Day Out (1992), which introduced the characters Wallace and Gromit, and the feature-length Chicken Run (2000)
Chung Hee. (ˈtʃʊŋ ˈhiː). 1917–79, South Korean politician; president of the Republic of Korea (1963–79); assassinated

park

noun

a large area of land preserved in a natural state for recreational use by the publicSee also national park
a piece of open land in a town with public amenities
NZ an area, esp of mountain country, reserved for recreational purposes
a large area of land forming a private estate
English law an enclosed tract of land where wild beasts are protected, acquired by a subject by royal grant or prescriptionCompare forest (def. 5)
an area designed and landscaped to accommodate a group of related enterprises, businesses, research establishments, etcscience park
US and Canadian See amusement park
US, Canadian and NZ See car park
US and Canadian a playing field or sports stadium
the park British informal a soccer pitch
a gear selector position on the automatic transmission of a motor vehicle that acts as a parking brake
the area in which the equipment and supplies of a military formation are assembled
a high valley surrounded by mountains in the western US

verb

to stop and leave (a vehicle) temporarily
to manoeuvre (a motor vehicle) into a space for it to be lefttry to park without hitting the kerb
stock exchange to register (securities) in the name of another or of nominees in order to conceal their real ownership
(tr) informal to leave or put somewherepark yourself in front of the fire
(intr) military to arrange equipment in a park
(tr) to enclose in or as a park
Derived Formsparklike, adjective

Word Origin for park

C13: from Old French parc, from Medieval Latin parricus enclosure, from Germanic; compare Old High German pfarrih pen, Old English pearruc paddock 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for parks

park

n.

mid-13c., "enclosed preserve for beasts of the chase," from Old French parc "enclosed wood or heath land used as a game preserve" (12c.), probably ultimately from West Germanic *parruk "enclosed tract of land" (cf. Old English pearruc, root of paddock (n.2), Old High German pfarrih "fencing about, enclosure," German pferch "fold for sheep," Dutch park).

Internal evidence suggests the West Germanic word is pre-4c. and originally meant the fencing, not the place enclosed. Found also in Medieval Latin as parricus "enclosure, park" (8c.), which likely is the direct source of the Old French word, as well as Italian parco, Spanish parque, etc. Some claim the Medieval Latin word as the source of the West Germanic, but the reverse seems more likely. Some later senses in English represent later borrowings from French. OED discounts notion of a Celtic origin. Welsh parc, Gaelic pairc are from English.

Meaning "enclosed lot in or near a town, for public recreation" is first attested 1660s, originally in reference to London; the sense evolution is via royal parks in the original, hunting sense being overrun by the growth of London and being opened to the public. Applied to sporting fields in American English from 1867.

New York's Park Avenue as an adjective meaning "luxurious and fashionable" (1956) was preceded in the same sense by London's Park Lane (1880). As a surname, Parker "keeper of a park" is attested in English from mid-12c. As a vehicle transmission gear, park (n.) is attested from 1949.

park

v.

1812, "to arrange military vehicles in a park," from park (n.) in a limited sense of "enclosure for military vehicles" (attested from 1680s). General non-military meaning "to put (a vehicle) in a certain place" is first recorded 1844. Related: Parked; parking. Park-and-ride is from 1966.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper