parity

Parity is a situation where two or more things are equal.

(noun)

An example of parity is parity in income, where two or more groups of people earn the same amount of money.

See parity in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun pl. parities

the state or condition of being the same in power, value, rank, etc.; equality
resemblance; similarity
equivalence in value of one currency expressed in terms of another country's currency
equality of value at a given ratio between different kinds of money, commodities, etc.
☆ a price for certain farm products, usually maintained by government price supports, designed to keep the purchasing power of the farmer at the level of a designated base period
Math. the condition existing between two integers that are both odd or both even
Physics a symmetry property of a wave function: expressed as +1 if no difference can be detected between the wave function and its mirror image, and as -1 if the wave function is changed only in sign

Origin: Fr parité < L paritas < par, equal: see par

noun

Med. the state or fact of having born offspring

Origin: < L parere, to bear (see -parous) + -ity

See parity in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun pl. par·i·ties

Equality, as in amount, status, or value.
Functional equivalence, as in the weaponry or military strength of adversaries: “A problem that has troubled the U.S.-Soviet relationship from the beginning has been the issue of parity” (Charles William Maynes).
The equivalent in value of a sum of money expressed in terms of a different currency at a fixed official rate of exchange.
Equality of prices of goods or securities in two different markets.
A level for farm-product prices maintained by governmental support and intended to give farmers the same purchasing power they had during a chosen base period.
Mathematics The even or odd quality of an integer. If two integers are both odd or both even, they are said to have the same parity; if one is odd and one even, they have different parity.
Abbr. P Physics
a. An intrinsic symmetry property of subatomic particles that is characterized by the behavior of the wave function of such particles under reflection through the origin of spatial coordinates.
b. A quantum number, either +1 (even) or -1 (odd), that mathematically describes this property.
Computer Science
a. The even or odd quality of the number of 1's or 0's in a binary code, often used to determine the integrity of data especially after transmission.
b. A parity bit.