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British navigator who commanded three expeditions in search of the Northwest Passage (1819-1820, 1821-1823, and 1824-1825). |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
v. par·ried, par·ry·ing, par·ries v.tr. 1. To deflect or ward off (a fencing thrust, for example). 2. To deflect, evade, or avoid: He skillfully parried the question with a clever reply. v.intr. To deflect or ward off a thrust or blow. n. pl. par·ries 1. The deflecting or warding off of a thrust or blow, as in fencing. 2. An evasive answer or action. [Probably from French parez, imperative of parer, to defend, from Italian parare, from Latin parāre, to prepare; see perə-1 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
