park
park [park parks parked parking] noun, verb [pɑːk] [pɑːrk]
noun
1. countable an area of public land in a town or a city where people go to walk, play and relax
• Hyde Park
• We went for a walk in the park.
• a park bench
2. countable (in compounds) an area of land used for a particular purpose
• a business/science park
• a wildlife park
see also amusement park, car park, national park, retail park, safari park, theme park
3. countable (in Britain) an area of land, usually with fields and trees, attached to a large country house
4. countable (NAmE) a piece of land for playing sports, especially baseball
see also ballpark
5. the park singular (BrE) a football ( soccer ) or rugby field
• the fastest man on the park
see a walk in the park at walk n.
Word Origin:
Middle English: from Old French parc, from medieval Latin parricus, of Germanic origin; related to German Pferch ‘pen, fold’, also to paddock. The word was originally a legal term designating land held by royal permission for keeping game animals: this was enclosed and therefore distinct from a forest or chase, and (also unlike a forest) had no special laws or officers. A military sense ‘space occupied by artillery, wagons, stores, etc., in an encampment’ (late 17th cent.) is the origin of the verb sense (mid 19th cent.) and of sense 2 (early 20th cent.).
Culture:
parks
British towns and cities have at least one municipal park, where people go to relax, lie in the sun, have picnics, walk their dogs and play games. Most US city and town governments also provide parks. They are open to anybody free of charge. The most famous parks in Britain include Hyde Park and Regent's Park in London. In the US, New York’s Central Park is the best known. Open-air events, such as plays and concerts, are sometimes held in these parks.
Most British parks were created in the 19th century, when more people moved into the towns. Some still have a rather old-fashioned, formal atmosphere, with paths to walk on, seats or benches, tidy lawns, flower beds and trees. There are sometimes signs that say: ‘Keep off the grass’. A few parks have a bandstand, a raised platform on which brass bands play occasionally during the summer. Most parks are protected by iron railings and gates which are locked by the park keeper each evening.
Many parks have a children’s playground with swings and roundabouts. Larger parks have a sports field, tennis courts and sometimes a boating lake. In the US softball diamonds are marked on the grass and in Britain there are goalposts for football. Large parks may have picnic benches and, in the US, barbecues. In the US it is usually illegal to drink alcohol in a park.
In Britain there are country parks, large areas of grass and woodland, where people can go for long walks. Some charge an admission fee. Many have nature trails where people can see interesting plants, birds or animals. National parks, such as Snowdonia in Wales, are areas of great beauty protected by the government. In the US there are both state parks and national parks. Many provide a safe place for wild animals to live.
Thesaurus:
park noun C
• They went for a walk in the park.
gardens • • playground • |especially AmE garden •
at/in the park/gardens/playground/garden
visit the park/gardens/garden
Example Bank:
• I work as a ranger in the city's park system.
• She works for the parks department.
• The lion was shot dead by a park ranger.
• The mountain has been designated as a national park.
• They go to the park most Sunday afternoons.
• They went for a walk in the park.
• We met at Hyde Park.
• We met in Central Park.
• a beautifully landscaped park
• a cafe overlooking the park
• a park managed by the Department of Parks and Recreation
• an indoor park for skateboarders
• the national parks system
• The Great Exhibition of 1851 was held in Hyde Park.
• The cottage is set within the park of a country house.
• The houses and parks in Georgian Sussex represented leisured society at its peak.
• With a mighty swing he hit the ball right out of the park.
Derived: park something up ▪ park up
