• Park

    Pronunciation

    Origin

    From Middle English park, from Old French parc ("livestock pen"), from Medieval Latin parcus, parricus, from Frankish *parrik ("enclosure, pen"), from Proto-Germanic *parrukaz ("enclosure, fence"), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)par- ("beam, log"). Cognate with Old High German pfarrih, pferrih ("enclosure, pen"), Old English pearroc ("enclosure"), Old Norse parrak ("enclosure, pen" also "distress, anxiety"). More at parrock, paddock.

    Full definition of park

    Noun

    park

    (plural parks)
    1. An area of land set aside for environment preservation and/or informal recreation.
      1. A tract of ground kept in its natural state, about or adjacent to a residence, as for the preservation of game, for walking, riding, or the like.
        • Edmund Waller (1606-1687)While in the park I sing, the listening deer
          Attend my passion, and forget to fear.
      2. A piece of ground, in or near a city or town, enclosed and kept for ornament and recreation
        Hyde Park in London;  Central Park in New York
        • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, The Mirror and the Lamp Chapter 23, If the afternoon was fine they strolled together in the park, very slowly, and with pauses to draw breath wherever the ground sloped upward. The slightest effort made the patient cough.
        • 1994, Robert Ferro,The Blue Star:I roamed the streets and parks, as far removed from the idea of art and pretense as I could take myself, discovering there the kind of truth I was supposed to be setting down on paper…
      3. An enclosed parcel of land stocked with animals for hunting, which one may have by prescription or royal grant.
      4. (US) A grassy basin surrounded by mountains.
      5. An area used for serious organized purposes.
        1. A space occupied by the animals, wagons, pontoons, and materials of all kinds, as ammunition, ordnance stores, hospital stores, provisions, etc., when brought together.
          a park of wagons;   a park of artillery
        2. A partially enclosed basin in which oysters are grown.
        3. An area zoned for a particular (industrial or technological) purpose.
          business park;  industrial park;  science park
          • 2013-06-21, Chico Harlan, Japan pockets the subsidy …, Across Japan, technology companies and private investors are racing to install devices that until recently they had little interest in: solar panels. Massive solar parks are popping up as part of a rapid build-up that one developer likened to an "explosion."
        4. (soccer) A pitch; the area on which a match is played.
          • 2010, December 28, Owen Phillips, Sunderland 0-2 Blackpool, But because of their dominance in the middle of the park and the sheer volume of chances, Sunderland boss Steve Bruce must have been staggered and sickened in equal measure when the visitors took the lead five minutes after the break.
      6. (UK) An inventory of matériel.
        A country's tank park or artillery park.
      7. (Australia, NZ) A space in which to leave a car; a parking space.
        • 2003, “Johnny”, Melbourne Blackout, in Sleazegrinder (editor), Gigs from Hell: True Stories from Rock and Roll′s Frontline, page 174,We got to the 9th Ward and as luck would have it I found a park for my bro′s car right out the front.
        • 2010, Sandy Curtis, Dangerous Deception, Clan Destine Press, Australia, unnumbered page,Once they′d entered the floors of parking spaces, James found a park relatively easily, but Mark had difficulty, and only a swift sprint allowed him to catch up as James walked through the throngs of people in the casino with the determination of a man who didn′t want to be delayed.
        • 2011, Antonia Magee, The Property Diaries: A Story of Buying a House, Finding a Man and Making a Home … All on a Single Income!, John Wiley & Sons Australia, unnumbered page,We finally found a park and walked a few blocks to the building.

    Antonyms

    Synonyms

    Verb

    1. (transitive) To bring (something such as a vehicle) to a halt or store in a specified place.You can park the car in front of the house.I parked the drive heads of my hard disk before travelling with my laptop.
    2. (transitive, informal) To defer (a matter) until a later date.Let's park that until next week's meeting.
    3. (transitive) To bring together in a park, or compact body.
    4. (transitive) To enclose in a park, or as in a park.How are we parked, and bounded in a pale. — Shakespeare.
    5. (transitive, baseball) To hit a home run, to hit the ball out of the park.He really parked that one.
    6. (intransitive, slang) To engage in romantic or sexual activities inside a nonmoving vehicle.They stopped at a romantic overlook, shut off the engine, and parked.
    7. (transitive, informal, sometimes reflexive) To sit, recline, or put, especially in a manner suggesting an intent to remain for some time.He came in and parked himself in our living room.Park your bags in the hall.
    8. (transitive, finance) To invest money temporarily in an investment instrument considered to relatively free of risk, especially while awaiting other opportunities.We decided to park our money in a safe, stable, low-yield bond fund until market conditions improve.
    9. (Internet) To register a domain name, but make no use of it (See Domain parking)

    Antonyms

    (bring to a halt) unpark
    © Wiktionary