Are you looking for a way to tell someone that something is an integral component in a wider whole? You could say that that thing is “part and parcel” of the whole, or the experience. Learn more about the meaning and origin of this expression below, and discover how to use the phrase “part and parcel”.
Meaning
The phrase “part and parcel” not used on its own — you say that something is part and parcel of something else.
This expression means that the task, experience, or thing you are describing is a key component in a larger whole.
Example Usage
Seeing the expression “part and parcel” in action gives you the chance to better understand its meaning, as well as giving you a look at the ways in which you might be able to use the phrase in a sentence. Take a look at these examples:
- “Doing the dishes is part and parcel of your job description as a waiter at this restaurant.”
- “You will soon discover that lying, hiding things, and screaming matches are just part and parcel of being a teenager.”
- “Conflict resolution is part and parcel of the training program here.”
Origin
Before we can examine the origins of the expression “part and parcel”, it is important to note that “parcel” hasn’t always had the same meaning. The word parcel comes from the Latin “parcella”, which meant “part”, and was long used to refer to a small piece of land.
The expression “part and parcel” can, therefore, directly be translated to modern English as “part and part” — which essentially means “every single part”.
The expression “part and parcel” first appears to have been used with this meaning in the 1500s.
Early published examples of the phrase “part and parcel” include Acts of Henry VIII (1535), which included the phrase “this present act, and part and parcel thereof”, and A Christian Directory Guiding Men to Their Salvation, published in 1585). This latter work contains the phrase “which is so much commended and commanded in every part and parcel of God’s word”.
In both of these sixteenth century examples, the expression “part and parcel” meant “every piece of” the thing described after the phrase. The phrase later grew to mean “an essential part, but not the entirety of, a larger whole”, however, and this is what part and parcel continues to mean today.
Note that the parcel in “part and parcel” has nothing to do with packages.
Phrases Similar to Part and Parcel
Should you not want to use the phrase “part and parcel” (of something), you have plenty of other options. They include:
- Integral component of
- Essential part of
- Key ingredients of
- Indispensable
- Unavoidable
Phrases Opposite to Part and Parcel
Since “part and parcel” means an essential or unavoidable part of a thing or experience, terms with broadly opposite meanings include:
- Optional
- Secondary
- Additional
What Is the Correct Saying?
The correct saying is “part and parcel”, used as “[something] is part and parcel [of something else]”. It means that the thing or experience you are describing is a key part or a larger whole.
Ways People May Say Part and Parcel Incorrectly
People who would like to start using the expression “part and parcel” should be aware that it is never used on its own. Instead, “part and parcel” is always followed by the preposition “of”.
You would first describe the thing or experience that is essential to the larger whole, and then follow it with a description of what that larger whole is.
Acceptable Ways to Phrase Part and Parcel
You can use the expression “part and parcel” to say that something is a necessary or unavoidable part of something else. Doing chores is part and parcel of being a good partner, studying is part and parcel of going to college, and going for walks is part and parcel of owning a dog, for example.