Parade, n.
Etymology: [F., fr. Sp. parada a halt or stopping, an assembling for exercise, a place where troops are assembled to exercise, fr. parar to stop, to prepare. See Pare, v. t.]
1. The ground where a military display is held, or where troops are drilled.
2. (Mil.)
An assembly and orderly arrangement or display of troops, in full equipments, for inspection or evolutions before some superior officer; a review of troops. Parades are general, regimental, or private (troop, battery, or company), according to the force assembled.
3. Pompous show; formal display or exhibition. Be rich, but of your wealth make no parade. Swift.
4 more senses
4. That which is displayed; a show; a spectacle; an imposing procession; the movement of any body marshaled in military order; as, a parade of firemen. In state returned the grand parade. Swift.
5. Posture of defense; guard. [A Gallicism.] When they are not in parade, and upon their guard. Locke.
6. A public walk; a promenade. Dress parade, Undress parade. See under Dress, and Undress. -- Parade rest, a position of rest for soldiers, in which, however, they are required to be silent and motionless. Wilhelm.
Syn. -- Ostentation; display; show. -- Parade, Ostentation. Parade is a pompous exhibition of things for the purpose of display; ostentation now generally indicates a parade of virtues or other qualities for which one expects to be honored. "It was not in the mere parade of royalty that the Mexican potentates exhibited their power." Robertson. "We are dazzled with the splendor of titles, the ostentation of learning, and the noise of victories." Spectator.
2 other Webster entries under this spelling
Parade, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Paraded; p. pr. & vb. n. Parading.]
1. To exhibit in a showy or ostentatious manner; to show off. Parading all her sensibility. Byron.
2. To assemble and form; to marshal; to cause to maneuver or march ceremoniously; as, to parade troops.
Parade, v. i.
1. To make an exhibition or spectacle of one's self, as by walking in a public place.
2. To assemble in military order for evolutions and inspection; to form or march, as in review.
Shades of meaning
Fernald has no entry of its own for parade; he lists it under array, ostentation.
Where he writes about it:
The parade is for exhibition and oversight, and partial rehearsal of military manual and maneuvers. — from array
Pageant, pageantry, parade, and pomp refer principally to affairs of arms or state; as, a royal pageant; a military parade. — from ostentation
Parade (L. paro, prepare) is an exhibition as of troops in camp going through the evolutions that are to be used in battle, and suggests a lack of earnestness and direct or immediate occasion or demand; hence, in the more general sense, a parade is an uncalled for exhibition, and so used is a more disparaging word than ostentation; ostentation may spring merely from undue self-gratulation, parade implies a desire to impress others with a sense of one's abilities or resources, and is always offensive and somewhat contemptible; as, a parade of wealth or learning. — from ostentation