par-, para-

1. To defend oneself by turning or pushing aside a punch, a weapon, etc.: Patrick parried a robber's attempt to hit him in the face, then struck the villain with his fist as hard as possible.
2. To avoid, to elude, or to circumvent a question or issue: The politician parried many of the reporters inquiries about his decisions to fire members of his staff.
3. Etymology: from Latin parare, "to make ready, to prepare". © ALL rights are reserved.

Go to this Word A Day Revisited Index
so you can see more of Mickey Bach's cartoons.

1. The act of planning, studying, training, or getting ready for something: In preparation for the play, Susan had to learn all of her lines by memory.
2. The activity of getting something ready by using heat: Preparation for dinner took quite a while because the casserole had to bake in the oven for about 45 minutes until it was ready to eat.
3. A substance made by following a formula: The face cream was a preparation or mixture especially made for sensitive skins.
4. In music, a note that creates a dissonant chord is first perceived in a consonant chord: Joan learned in her music class that a preparation involved the introduction of dissonance by presenting the dissonant tone as a consonant one in the prior chord.

1. To make ready in advance for some use, activity, or purpose: Nancy and her friend Susan prepared themselves for the upcoming hiking tour in two days.

Before going shopping, Bruce prepared a shopping list of all the things they needed for the week.
2. To make someone receptive or able to deal with some information: The policewoman asked Jill to sit down to prepare her for the bad news regarding her husband.
3. To get a meal ready for cooking or eating: In the late afternoon Lynn started to prepare dinner for her family.
4. To put into an oral or written form: Mr. Simmons prepared his speech to the administrative team of the company.
5. To make oneself ready for something: Ivy prepared herself for the spontaneous ride in the wagon to the next farm.

1. To fix something that is broken or damaged.
2. The process of putting something in working order again.
3. To restore to a sound condition after being damaged or injured; to fix.
4. Etymology: from the late 14th century, "to mend, to put back in order"; from Old French reparer, which came from Latin reparare "to restore, to put back in order"; from re-, "again" + parare, "to make ready, to prepare".

The possibility of being mended, put back together, renovated: The watchmaker wondered about the repairability of the very old grandfather clock, but he was lucky to be able to restore it to a good working condition again.

Disposed to being mended or restored: The damaged garage was repairable and the owner was able to reconstruct it himself.

1. A making of a payment for some wrong a person has done by supplying money to or otherwise helping someone who has been harmed in some way: The judge required a convicted offender to make financial reparation to his victim.

There is no reparation George can make for breaking the priceless statue that he accidently bumped into at the museum.

2. The renewal of friendship or reconciliation: Mary's apology was the first step in the reparation of her relations with her sister.
3. The compensation for war damages that is produced by a defeated country: Reparations had to be paid because of the damage, injuries, deaths, etc. that were caused by the country that lost the war.

1. Detached, disconnected, or disjoined.
2. Unconnected; distinct; unique: "There were two separate questions."
3. Being or standing apart; distant or dispersed: "She owned two separate houses."