{"id":9989,"date":"2022-10-06T19:15:10","date_gmt":"2022-10-06T19:15:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=9989"},"modified":"2022-10-06T19:15:10","modified_gmt":"2022-10-06T19:15:10","slug":"part-and-parcel-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/part-and-parcel-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Part and Parcel \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"

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 \u201cpart and parcel<\/strong>\u201d of the whole, or the experience. Learn more about the meaning and origin of this expression below, and discover how to use the phrase \u201cpart and parcel\u201d.<\/p>\n

Meaning<\/h2>\n

The phrase \u201cpart and parcel<\/strong>\u201d not used on its own \u2014 you say that something is part and parcel of something else<\/em>.<\/p>\n

This expression means that the task, experience, or thing you are describing is a key component in a larger whole.<\/p>\n

Example Usage<\/h2>\n

Seeing the expression \u201cpart and parcel\u201d 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:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • \u201cDoing the dishes is part and parcel<\/strong> of your job description as a waiter at this restaurant.\u201d<\/li>\n
  • \u201cYou will soon discover that lying, hiding things, and screaming matches are just part and parcel<\/strong> of being a teenager.\u201d<\/li>\n
  • \u201cConflict resolution is part and parcel<\/strong> of the training program here.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Origin<\/h2>\n

    Before we can examine the origins of the expression \u201cpart and parcel<\/strong>\u201d, it is important to note that \u201cparcel\u201d hasn\u2019t always had the same meaning. The word parcel comes from the Latin \u201cparcella<\/strong>\u201d, which meant \u201cpart\u201d, and was long used to refer to a small piece of land.<\/p>\n

    The expression \u201cpart and parcel\u201d can, therefore, directly be translated to modern English as \u201cpart and part<\/strong>\u201d \u2014 which essentially means \u201cevery single part<\/strong>\u201d.<\/p>\n

    The expression \u201cpart and parcel\u201d first appears to have been used with this meaning in the 1500s<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    Early published examples of the phrase \u201cpart and parcel\u201d include Acts of Henry VIII<\/em> (1535), which included the phrase \u201cthis present act, and part and parcel thereof\u201d, and A Christian Directory Guiding Men to Their Salvation<\/em>, published in 1585). This latter work contains the phrase \u201cwhich is so much commended and commanded in every part and parcel of God\u2019s word\u201d.<\/p>\n

    In both of these sixteenth century examples, the expression \u201cpart and parcel\u201d meant \u201cevery piece of\u201d the thing described after the phrase. The phrase later grew to mean \u201can essential part, but not the entirety of, a larger whole<\/strong>\u201d, however, and this is what part and parcel continues to mean today.<\/p>\n

    Note that the parcel in \u201cpart and parcel\u201d has nothing to do with packages.<\/p>\n

    Phrases Similar to Part and Parcel<\/h2>\n

    Should you not want to use the phrase \u201cpart and parcel\u201d (of something), you have plenty of other options. They include:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Integral component of<\/strong><\/li>\n
    • Essential part of<\/strong><\/li>\n
    • Key ingredients of<\/strong><\/li>\n
    • Indispensable <\/strong><\/li>\n
    • Unavoidable<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Phrases Opposite to Part and Parcel<\/h2>\n

      Since \u201cpart and parcel\u201d means an essential or unavoidable part of a thing or experience, terms with broadly opposite meanings include:<\/p>\n

        \n
      • Optional<\/strong><\/li>\n
      • Secondary<\/strong><\/li>\n
      • Additional<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        What Is the Correct Saying?<\/h2>\n

        The correct saying is \u201cpart and parcel<\/strong>\u201d, used as \u201c[something] is part and parcel [of something else]\u201d. It means that the thing or experience you are describing is a key part or a larger whole.<\/p>\n

        Ways People May Say Part and Parcel Incorrectly<\/h2>\n

        People who would like to start using the expression \u201cpart and parcel\u201d should be aware that it is never used on its own. Instead, \u201cpart and parcel\u201d is always followed by the preposition \u201cof\u201d.<\/p>\n

        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.<\/p>\n

        Acceptable Ways to Phrase Part and Parcel<\/h2>\n

        You can use the expression \u201cpart and parcel\u201d 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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        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 \u201cpart and parcel\u201d of the whole, or the experience. Learn more about the meaning and origin of this expression below, and discover how to use the phrase \u201cpart and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9989"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9989"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9989\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9990,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9989\/revisions\/9990"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9989"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9989"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9989"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}