Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense parboils, present participle parboiling, past tense, past participle parboiled
verb
If you parboil food, especially vegetables, you boil it until it is partly cooked.
Roughly chop and parboil the potatoes. [VERB noun]
parboil in British English
(ˈpɑːˌbɔɪl)
verb(transitive)
1.
to boil until partially cooked, often before further cooking
2.
to subject to uncomfortable heat
Word origin
C15: from Old French parboillir, from Late Latin perbullīre to boil thoroughly (see per-, boil1); modern meaning due to confusion of par- with part
parboil in American English
(ˈpɑrˌbɔɪl)
verb transitive
1.
to boil (meat or vegetables) until partly cooked, as in preparation for roasting
2.
to make uncomfortably hot; overheat
Word origin
ME parboilen < OFr parboullir < par (< L per), through, thoroughly + boullir (< L bullire), to boil1: meaning infl. in ME & ModE by assoc. of par with part1