Etymology: Cognate with Middle Dutch parc , perc , paerc , parric , perric enclosed place, park (Dutch perk flowerbed, park enclosure with animals, park; the Dutch word apparently shows semantic influence from French parc park n. from an early date, and latterly also from English park n.), Middle Low German perk enclosure, Old High German pfarrih , pferrih pen, enclosure, hurdle (Middle High German pherrich , pferrich , pferich , pherch means of enclosure, pen, German Pferch pen, fold (for sheep, etc.); > pferchen to fold, pen (an animal) (16th cent.)), further etymology uncertain and disputed; perhaps < post-classical Latin parricus (see park n. and discussion at that entry), although if so par n.² and par v.¹ present difficulties, unless they are of a completely different origin (it seems unlikely that they show a borrowing from Latin *parra ). In English the ending probably shows assimilation to the suffix -ock suffix. Compare paddock n.²It is uncertain whether (as widely held by earlier scholars) Middle Low German parre , Old High German pharra (Middle High German pharre , German Pfarre ) parish are ultimately from the same base; if so, they show semantic and perhaps also formal influence from post-classical Latin parochia (see parish n.), but it is also possible that they show borrowings of this word. Compare Welsh parwg ( < Middle English parrock ). The use of the word in sense 3 appears to result from a misunderstanding of its occurrence in sense 1 in post-classical Latin documents, probably originating in W. Somner Treat. Gavelkind (1660) 23. Somner quotes a roll of accounts which mentions parocum de Maghefeld and later interprets paroc as ‘a Court-like kind of meeting’: see quot. 1660 at sense 3.

Etymology: < parrock n. Compare earlier par v.¹