Etymograph

English

parry

Parry comes from Old French paree ‘preparation, ceremony, parade’, and goes back to Medieval Latin parāre.

  1. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500parāre1‘to ward off, guard, defend, prepare, get ready’
  2. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500parāta1‘preparation, parade’
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400paree1‘preparation, ceremony, parade’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500*parree1reconstructed
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1944parry1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English parry
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1944, and April, Some C.M.Es. I Have Known: VIII—Sir H. N. Gresley: “One had to be on one's guard when thus…”.

Earlier history not traced here. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500parāreWiktionary, English parry‘to ward off, guard, defend, prepare, get ready’
  2. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500parātaWiktionary, English parry‘preparation, parade’
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400pareeWiktionary, English parry‘preparation, ceremony, parade’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500*parreeWiktionary, English parryreconstructed
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1944parryWiktionary, English parry. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1944, and April, Some C.M.Es. I Have Known: VIII—Sir H. N. Gresley: “One had to be on one's guard when thus…”

The story

The English verb is taken from the noun. Alternative etymology derives the verb parry from French parez, the imperative form of parer (‘to fend off’), ultimately from the Medieval Latin parāre.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Medieval Latin parāre ‘to ward off, guard, defend, prepare, get ready’

prepare, parade, sever, parable, 1 more

Today it means

verb To avoid, deflect, or ward off (an attack, a blow, an argument, etc.).

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “parry”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Medieval Latin parāre / parry

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