Definitions of parallel:

• noun:   something having the property of being analogous to something else
• noun:   an imaginary line around the Earth parallel to the equator
• verb:   be parallel to

  Example: "Their roles are paralleled by ours"

• verb:   make or place parallel to something

  Example: "They paralleled the ditch to the highway"

• verb:   duplicate or match
• adjective:   being everywhere equidistant and not intersecting

  Example: "Parallel lines never converge"

• adjective:   of or relating to the simultaneous performance of multiple operations

  Example: "Parallel processing"