Often we meet in the literature, and also hear in speech, replete with bookish expressions, the word "parry". It can be both heard in scientific circles and read in a work of art. What does it mean? After all, knowing the meaning of the word "parry" is obviously worth every person who claims to be called smart and educated.
Etymology
For starters, as almost always when trying to figure out what the original foreign word means, let's deal with its source. Etymological dictionaries tell us that the closest relative of the Russian "parry" is the French parer, which in turn comes from the Latin parere, which means "cook". Subsequently, having reached the meaning, we can easily understand why this particular verb was borrowed from the French language.
Grammar and stylistic characteristics
The word "parry", as already mentioned, has long taken root in the Russian language and easily integrated into its verb system. This verb can be defined as two-species (it can be understood both in perfect and in imperfectform). And also transitive: used with the control “to fend off whom / what?” no preposition.
As for the style of use, the word is bookish. It can often be found in the literature. When using in oral speech, you should be careful not to seem too pretentious and pompous.
Values
To begin with, let's consider a noun derived from the verb in question - "parry". This word means nothing more than a blow in fencing, in response to a blow or swing of the enemy. Everything immediately becomes clear: after all, the art of swordsmanship spread to many countries precisely from France, which, together with gallomania, which engulfed Europe almost from the Enlightenment until the 19th century inclusive, determined the fate of the Romance verb.
So, the first, original meaning of the verb "parry" is to reflect the blow in fencing. Usage example: "Virtuoso with a sword, my musketeer opponent made a deft lunge, but I was not a miss: I managed to parry his blow."
Another meaning of the word is figurative. Today, when fencing is just a hobby, and possession of a sword and a sword has lost its former relevance, you can hear this word most often in this sense. The meaning of the word "parry" in this case is a reflection, refutation of the arguments, arguments of the opponent in the dispute, the person with whom the speaker does not agree with anything. An example of the use of this word in this case is as follows: “After my speech, from a simple question of a listener,a whole scientific discussion: counterarguments to my theory rained down on me from all sides, but I seem to have successfully fended off all their arguments.”
