v., parsed, pars·ing, pars·es. v.tr.
- To break (a sentence) down into its component parts of speech with an explanation of the form, function, and syntactical relationship of each part.
- To describe (a word) by stating its part of speech, form, and syntactical relationships in a sentence.
- To examine closely or subject to detailed analysis, especially by breaking up into components: "What are we missing by parsing the behavior of chimpanzees into the conventional categories recognized largely from our own behavior?" (Stephen Jay Gould).
- To make sense of; comprehend: I simply couldn't parse what you just said.
- Computer Science. To analyze or separate (input, for example) into more easily processed components.
To admit of being parsed: sentences that do not parse easily.
[Probably from Middle English pars, part of speech, from Latin pars (ōrātiōnis), part (of speech).]
parser pars'er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
