parity Meaning, Definition & Usage

1. noun (obstetrics) the number of liveborn children a woman has delivered
   para.
   
   • the parity of the mother must be considered
   • a bipara is a woman who has given birth to two children
2. noun (mathematics) a relation between a pair of integers: if both integers are odd or both are even they have the same parity; if one is odd and the other is even they have different parity
   
   • parity is often used to check the integrity of transmitted data
3. noun (computer science) a bit that is used in an error detection procedure in which a 0 or 1 is added to each group of bits so that it will have either an odd number of 1's or an even number of 1's; e.g., if the parity is odd then any group of bits that arrives with an even number of 1's must contain an error
   parity bit; check bit.
   
4. noun (physics) parity is conserved in a universe in which the laws of physics are the same in a right-handed system of coordinates as in a left-handed system
   space-reflection symmetry; mirror symmetry; conservation of parity.
   
5. noun functional equality
   

WordNet