parking

[par-king] /ˈpær kɪŋ/
noun
1.
the act of a person or thing that parks, especially a vehicle.
2.
space in which to park vehicles, as at a place of business or a public event:
There's plenty of free parking at the stadium.
3.
permission to park vehicles:
Is there parking on this side of the street?
4.
the activity or occupation of a person who operates or works in a parking lot, garage, or the like.
5.
parking strip.
6.
Informal. the act of kissing and caressing in a parked car:
Some of the couples went parking on their way home from the dance.
adjective
7.
of, pertaining to, used for, or engaged in parking, especially of vehicles:
parking regulations; a parking ticket; a parking space; a parking attendant.
Origin
1520-30; park + -ing1, -ing2
Related forms
unparking, adjective

park

[pahrk] /pɑrk/
noun
1.
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.
2.
an enclosed area or a stadium used for sports:
a baseball park.
3.
a considerable extent of land forming the grounds of a country house.
4.
British. a tract of land reserved for wild animals; game preserve.
5.
Western U.S. a broad valley in a mountainous region.
6.
a space where vehicles, especially automobiles, may be assembled or stationed.
7.
amusement park.
8.
theme park.
9.
any area set aside for public recreation.
10.
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.
11.
Automotive. a setting in an automatic transmission in which the transmission is in neutral and the brake is engaged.
verb (used with object)
12.
to place or leave (a vehicle) in a certain place for a period of time.
13.
Informal. to put, leave, or settle:
Park your coat on the chair. Park yourself over there for a moment.
14.
to assemble (equipment or supplies) in a military park.
15.
to enclose in or as in a park.
16.
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.
17.
Aerospace. to place (a satellite) in orbit.
verb (used without object)
18.
to park a car, bicycle, etc.
19.
Informal. to engage in kissing and caressing in a parked car.
Origin
1225-75; Middle English (noun) < Old French parc enclosure < Late Latin *parricus < West Germanic *parruk (see paddock1)
Related forms
parker, noun
parklike, adjective
overpark, verb
repark, verb
superpark, noun
unparked, adjective
well-parked, adjective
Examples from the web for parking
  • In our area, cost is about the same as the price of a parking-lot tree.
  • Since no one owns property, no one pays property taxes, and the parking situation could hardly be improved.
  • It's more full-service than a lot of places-they have parking, they take credit cards.
  • parking lots are smaller, cars are smaller, houses are smaller.
  • The stink of exhaust, the mind-numbing tedium of traffic, parking lots blighting central city real estate.
  • And users can go online to see the whereabouts of available bikes and parking spaces.
  • We can cover the exteriors of our buildings with photo voltaic windows or sunshades over our walkways and parking lots.
  • Oh right, school administrators don't provide anywhere to secure a bicycle, only parking lots for automobiles.
  • And smart wind, solar in home, small business sizes where it's best requires no new land as it fits on the roof or parking lot.
  • Or picture a koala losing half its food supply to a parking lot.
British Dictionary definitions for parking

park

/pɑːk/
noun
1.
a large area of land preserved in a natural state for recreational use by the public See also national park
2.
a piece of open land in a town with public amenities
3.
(NZ) an area, esp of mountain country, reserved for recreational purposes
4.
a large area of land forming a private estate
5.
(English law) an enclosed tract of land where wild beasts are protected, acquired by a subject by royal grant or prescription Compare forest (sense 5)
6.
an area designed and landscaped to accommodate a group of related enterprises, businesses, research establishments, etc: science park
7.
(US & Canadian) See amusement park
8.
(US & Canadian, NZ) See car park
9.
(US & Canadian) a playing field or sports stadium
10.
(Brit, informal) the park, a soccer pitch
11.
a gear selector position on the automatic transmission of a motor vehicle that acts as a parking brake
12.
the area in which the equipment and supplies of a military formation are assembled
13.
a high valley surrounded by mountains in the western US
verb
14.
to stop and leave (a vehicle) temporarily
15.
to manoeuvre (a motor vehicle) into a space for it to be left: try to park without hitting the kerb
16.
(stock exchange) to register (securities) in the name of another or of nominees in order to conceal their real ownership
17.
(transitive) (informal) to leave or put somewhere: park yourself in front of the fire
18.
(intransitive) (military) to arrange equipment in a park
19.
(transitive) to enclose in or as a park
Derived Forms
parklike, adjective
Word Origin
C13: from Old French parc, from Medieval Latin parricus enclosure, from Germanic; compare Old High German pfarrih pen, Old English pearrucpaddock1

Park

/pɑːk/
noun
1.
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
2.
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)
3.
Chung Hee. (ˈtʃʊŋ ˈhiː). 1917–79, South Korean politician; president of the Republic of Korea (1963–79); assassinated
Word Origin and History for parking
n.

"act of putting (a vehicle) in a certain place," 1915, verbal noun from park (v.). Parking lot is from 1920; parking ticket attested by 1925. Parking brake recorded from 1929.

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.

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.

Slang definitions & phrases for parking

park

verb
  1. To put or place; locate: Park yourself anywhere, I'll be right back (1922+)
  2. To manipulate records illegally so as to conceal true ownership of stocks: If you're caught ''parking'' stock, your defense is everybody does it but I didn't know it was going on (1990s+)
Related Terms

ballpark, ballpark figure