Here's the breakdown:
* "Parcel" in this context refers to a small piece or portion of something larger.
* "Part" simply means a component or element.
Therefore, "part and parcel" originally meant "a portion or component of something that is essential and inseparable from the whole."
Over time, the idiom evolved to mean:
An essential or inseparable part of something.
Example:
* "Doing the dishes is part and parcel of living in a household."
It's important to note:
* The phrase was initially used in a literal sense within legal documents.
* It gradually transitioned into a figurative sense to describe an essential element of something.
* The phrase is now commonly used to emphasize the importance and inevitability of something.