Online Etymology Dictionary

parietal (adj.): early 15c., "pertaining to the walls of a cavity in the body," from Late Latin parietalis "of walls," from Latin paries (genitive parietis) "wall" (of a building), of unknown origin. In U.S. also "pertaining to the residents and rules of a college or university" (1837).
Paris: capital of France, from Gallo-Latin Lutetia Parisorum (in Late Latin also Parisii), name of a fortified town of the Gaulish tribe of the Parisii, who had a capital there; literally "Parisian swamps" (compare Old Irish loth "dirt," Welsh lludedic "muddy, slimy").

The tribal name is of unknown origin, but traditionally derived from a Celtic par "boat" (perhaps related to Greek baris; see barge (n.)), hence the ship on the city's coat of arms.
parish (n.): c. 1300, "district with its own church; members of such a church," from Anglo-French paroche, parosse (late 11c.), Old French paroisse, from Late Latin parochia "a diocese," alteration of Late Greek paroikia "a diocese or parish," from paroikos "a sojourner" (in Christian writers), in classical Greek, "neighbor," from para- "near" (see para- (1)) + oikos "house" (see villa).

Sense development unclear, perhaps from "sojourner" as epithet of early Christians as spiritual sojourners in the material world. In early Church writing the word was used in a more general sense than Greek dioikesis, though by 13c. they were synonymous. Replaced Old English preostscyr, literally "priest-shire."
parishioner (n.): mid-15c., with -er (1), from earlier parishen "parishioner" (c. 1200), from Old French paroissien, parochien, from paroisse (see parish). Doublet form parochian was obsolete by 1700.
Parisian: 1520s (n.), 1610s (adj.), from French parisien, from Medieval Latin parisianus (see Paris). Fem. form Parisienne (n.) is attested from 1886.
parity (n.): 1570s, "equality of rank or status," from Middle French parité (14c.) or directly from Late Latin paritas "equality," from Latin adjective par (genitive paris) "equal" (see pair (n.)). Meaning "condition in which adversaries have equal resources" is from 1955, originally in reference to the U.S.A. and the U.S.S.R.
park (n.): mid-13c., "enclosed preserve for beasts of the chase," from Old French parc "enclosed wood or heath land used as a game preserve" (12c.), probably ultimately from West Germanic *parruk "enclosed tract of land" (source also of Old English pearruc, root of paddock (n.2), Old High German pfarrih "fencing about, enclosure," German pferch "fold for sheep," Dutch park).

Internal evidence suggests the West Germanic word is pre-4c. and originally meant the fencing, not the place enclosed. Found also in Medieval Latin as parricus "enclosure, park" (8c.), which likely is the direct source of the Old French word, as well as Italian parco, Spanish parque, etc. Some claim the Medieval Latin word as the source of the West Germanic, but the reverse seems more likely. Some later senses in English represent later borrowings from French. OED discounts notion of a Celtic origin. Welsh parc, Gaelic pairc are from English.

Meaning "enclosed lot in or near a town, for public recreation" is first attested 1660s, originally in reference to London; the sense evolution is via royal parks in the original, hunting sense being overrun by the growth of London and being opened to the public. Applied to sporting fields in American English from 1867.

New York's Park Avenue as an adjective meaning "luxurious and fashionable" (1956) was preceded in the same sense by London's Park Lane (1880). As a surname, Parker "keeper of a park" is attested in English from mid-12c. As a vehicle transmission gear, park (n.) is attested from 1949.
park (v.): 1812, "to arrange military vehicles in a park," from park (n.) in a limited sense of "enclosure for military vehicles" (attested from 1680s). General non-military meaning "to put (a vehicle) in a certain place" is first recorded 1844. Related: Parked; parking. Park-and-ride is from 1966.
parka (n.): 1780, from Aleut parka, from Russian parka "a pelt or jacket made from pelt," from Samoyed.
parking (n.): "act of putting (a vehicle) in a certain place," 1915, verbal noun from park (v.). Parking lot is from 1920; parking ticket attested by 1925. Parking brake recorded from 1929.
Parkinson's disease: 1877, from French maladie de Parkinson (1876), named for English physician James Parkinson (1755-1824), who described it (1817) under the names shaking palsy and paralysis agitans.
Parkinson's Law: 1955 (in the "Economist" of Nov. 19), named for its deviser, British historian and journalist Cyril Northcote Parkinson (1909-1993): "work expands to fill the time available for its completion."
parlance (n.): 1570s, "speaking, speech," especially in debate; 1787 as "way of speaking," from Anglo-French (c. 1300) and Old French parlance, from Old French parlaunce, from parler "to speak" (see parley).
parlay (n.): 1701, parloi, term in the card game faro, from French paroli, from Italian parole (Neapolitan paroli) "words, promises," plural of parolo (see parole). Meaning "exploit to advantage" is from 1942.
parley (n.): "conference, speech," especially with an enemy, mid-15c., from Middle French parlée, from fem. past participle of Old French parler "to speak" (11c.), from Vulgar Latin *paraulare, from Late Latin parabolare "to speak (in parables)," from parabola "speech, discourse," from Latin parabola "comparison" (see parable).
parley (v.): late 14c., "to speak, talk, confer," probably a separate borrowing of Old French parler "to speak" (see parley (n.)). Related: Parleyed; parleying. Meaning "to discuss terms" is 1560s, from the noun.
parleyvoo: colloquial for "the French language," 1754, from French parlez-vous (français?) "do you speak (French?)" For parlez, see parley (n.).
parliament (n.): c. 1300, "consultation; formal conference, assembly," from Old French parlement (11c.), originally "a speaking, talk," from parler "to speak" (see parley (n.)); spelling altered c. 1400 to conform with Medieval Latin parliamentum.

Anglo-Latin parliamentum is attested from early 13c. Specific sense "representative assembly of England or Ireland" emerged by mid-14c. from general meaning "a conference of the secular and/or ecclesiastical aristocracy summoned by a monarch."
parliamentarian (n.): 1640s as a designation of one of the sides in the English Civil War; meaning "one versed in parliamentary procedure" dates from 1834. See parliamentary + -ian.
parliamentary (adj.): 1610s, from parliament + -ary.
parlor (n.): c. 1200, parlur, "window through which confessions were made," also "apartment in a monastery for conversations with outside persons;" from Old French parleor "courtroom, judgment hall, auditorium" (12c., Modern French parloir), from parler "to speak" (see parley (n.)).

Sense of "sitting room for private conversation" is late 14c.; that of "show room for a business" (as in ice cream parlor) first recorded 1884. As an adjective, "advocating radical views from a position of comfort," 1910.
parlour: chiefly British English spelling of parlor (q.v.).
parlous (adj.): late 14c., late Middle English contraction of perilous.
parmaceutics (n.): 1660s, from pharmaceutic (see pharmaceutical); also see -ics.
parmaco-: word-forming element meaning "drug, medicine," also "poison," from Latinized form of Greek pharmako-, comb. form of pharmakon "drug, poison" (see pharmacy).
Parmesan (n.): type of dry, hard cheese, 1550s, from Italian Parmegiano "of Parma," from Parma, city in northern Italy, one of the places where the cheese is made. Full form parmeson chese is recorded from 1510s. The place name ultimately is Etruscan.
Parnassus (n.): late 14c., from Latin, from Greek Parnassos, mountain in central Greece, sacred to Apollo and the Muses, thus symbolic of poetry. Room writes that the name is from Hittite parna "abode." Related: Parnassian.
Various kinds of literary fame seem destined to various measures of duration. Some spread into exuberance with a very speedy growth, but soon wither and decay; some rise more slowly, but last long. Parnassus has its flowers of transient fragrance, as well as its oaks of towering height, and its laurels of eternal verdure. [Samuel Johnson, "The Rambler," March 23, 1751]
Parnellite (n.): in Irish history, 1881, adherent of the Irish Home Rule policy of Charles Stewart Parnell (1846-1891) + -ite (1).
parochial (adj.): late 14c., "pertaining to a parish," from Anglo-French parochiel (late 13c.), from Old French parochial, from Late Latin parochialis "of a parish" (c. 600), from parochia (see parish).

Figurative sense, "limited, narrow," as if confined to a small region, is from 1856 (also see parochialism). Parochial school is attested from 1755.
parochialism (n.): "limited and narrow character or tendency," 1847, from parochial + -ism.
parodist (n.): 1742, from French parodiste (18c.), from parodie (see parody (n.)).
parody (n.): 1590s (first recorded use in English is in Ben Jonson), from or in imitation of Latin parodia "parody," from Greek paroidia "burlesque song or poem," from para- "beside, parallel to" (see para- (1), in this case, "mock-") + oide "song, ode" (see ode). The meaning "poor or feeble imitation" is from 1830. Related: Parodic; parodical.
parody (v.): c. 1745, from parody (n.). Related: Parodied; parodying.
parol (n.): "oral statement," late 15c., from Anglo-French (14c.), from Old French parole "word, speech, argument" (see parole (n.)).
parole (n.): 1610s, "word of honor," especially "promise by a prisoner of war not to escape," from French parole "word, speech" (in parole d'honneur "word of honor") from Vulgar Latin *paraula "speech, discourse," from Latin parabola (see parable). Sense of "conditional release of a prisoner before full term" is first attested 1908 in criminal slang.
parole (v.): 1716, from parole (n.). Originally it was what the prisoner did ("pledge"); its transitive meaning "put on parole" is first attested 1782. Related: Paroled; paroling.
parolee (n.): 1916, from parole (v.) + -ee.
paronomasia (n.): "pun," 1570s, from Latin, from Greek paronomasia "play upon words which sound similarly," from paronomazein "to alter slightly, to call with slight change of name," literally "to name beside," from par- (see para- (1)) + onomasia "naming," from onoma "name" (see name (n.)).
paronychia (n.): inflammation beside a fingernail, 1590s, from Latin, from Greek paronykhia "whitlow," from para- "beside" (see para- (1)) + onyx "nail" (see nail (n.)) + abstract noun ending -ia.
paronym (n.): "cognate word," 1846, from Greek paronymos, "formed by a slight change," from para- (see para- (1)) + onyma (see name (n.)). Related: Paronymous (1660s).
parotid (adj.): "situated near the ear," 1680s, from French parotide (1540s), or directly from Latin parotid-, stem of parotis, from Greek parotis "tumor near the ear," from para- "beside" (see para- (1)) + ot-, stem of ous "ear" (see ear (n.1)). As a noun, "the parotid gland."
Parousia (n.): "Second Coming," a reference to Matt. xxiv:27, 1875, from Greek parousia, literally "presence," from para- (see para- (1)) + ousia "essence," from on, genitive ontos, present participle of einai "to be" (see ion).
paroxysm (n.): "sudden attack, convulsion," early 15c., from Middle French paroxysme (16c.), earlier paroxime (13c.), from Medieval Latin paroxysmus "irritation, fit of a disease," from Greek paroxysmos "irritation, exasperation," from paroxynein "to irritate, goad, provoke," from para- "beyond" (see para- (1)) + oxynein "sharpen, goad," from oxys "sharp, pointed" (see acrid). Non-medical sense first attested c. 1600. Related: Paroxysmal.
parquet (n.): 1816, "patterned wooden flooring," from French parquet "wooden flooring; enclosed portion of a park," from Old French parchet (14c.) "small compartment, part of a park or theater," diminutive of parc (see park (n.)).

Meaning "part of a theater auditorium at the front of the ground floor" is first recorded 1848. The noun use in English has been influenced by the verb (attested from 1640s, from French parqueter. Related: Parquetry
parr (n.): "young salmon," c. 1720, Scottish, of unknown origin.
parrel (n.): late 15c., "binding that fixes a yard to a mast," from parel "equipment" (c. 1400), earlier "apparel" (early 14c.), a shortening of apparel (n.).
parricide (n.): 1. "person who kills a parent or near relative" (1550s), also 2. "act of killing parent or near relative" (1560s), both from Middle French parricide (13c. in sense 1, 16c. in sense 2), from 1. Latin parricida, 2. Latin parricidium, probably from parus "relative" (of uncertain origin, but compare Greek paos, peos "relation," Sanskrit purushah "man") + 1. cida "killer," 2. cidium "killing," both from caedere (see -cide). Old English had fæderslaga.
parrot (n.): 1520s, of uncertain origin, perhaps from dialectal Middle French perrot, from a variant of Pierre "Peter;" or perhaps a dialectal form of perroquet (see parakeet). Replaced earlier popinjay. The German naturalist Alexander von Humboldt in South America in 1800 encountered a very old parrot that was the sole speaker of a dead Indian language, the original tribe having gone extinct.
parrot (v.): "repeat without understanding," 1590s, from parrot (n.). Related: Parroted; parroting.
parrot-fish (n.): 1712, from parrot (n.) + fish (n.).