ɑDictionary.com Unabridged
noun, plural pa·ras, pa·ra.
a.
formerly, an aluminum-bronze coin and monetary unit of Yugoslavia, the 100th part of a dinar.
b.
a coin and monetary unit of Macedonia and Serbia, the 100th part of a dinar.
00:10
Para
is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
adjective Chemistry.
noun
noun, plural par·as, par·ae 
[par-ee] . Obstetrics.
[par-ee] . Obstetrics. 1.
Also called parity. a woman's status regarding the bearing of viable offspring: usually followed by a Roman numeral designating the number of times the woman has given birth.
2.
the woman herself.
noun
1.
an estuary in N Brazil: an arm of the Amazon. 200 miles (320 km) long; 40 miles (65 km) wide.
2.
3.
para-
11.
a prefix appearing in loanwords from Greek, most often attached to verbs and verbal derivatives, with the meanings “at or to one side of, beside, side by side” ( parabola; paragraph; parallel; paralysis ), “beyond, past, by” ( paradox; paragogue ); by extension from these senses, this prefix came to designate objects or activities auxiliary to or derivative of that denoted by the base word ( parody; paronomasia ), and hence abnormal or defective ( paranoia ), a sense now common in modern scientific coinages ( parageusia; paralexia ). As an English prefix, para-1, may have any of these senses; it is also productive in the naming of occupational roles considered ancillary or subsidiary to roles requiring more training, or of a higher status, on such models as paramedical, and paraprofessional:, paralegal; paralibrarian; parapolice.
Also, especially before a vowel, par-.
Origin:
< Greek para-, combining form representing pará (preposition) beside, alongside of, by, beyond
< Greek para-, combining form representing pará (preposition) beside, alongside of, by, beyond
para-
2a combining form meaning “guard against,” occurring in loanwords from French, or, via French, from Italian: parachute; parasol.
Origin:
< French < Italian para, 3rd singular present of parare to prepare against, ward off < Latin parāre to prepare
< French < Italian para, 3rd singular present of parare to prepare against, ward off < Latin parāre to prepare
para-
3a combining form extracted from parachute, forming compounds denoting persons or things utilizing parachutes or landed by parachute: paradrop; paradoctor; paraglider; paratrooper.
Para.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To Para
Collins
World English Dictionary
para1 (ˈpɑːrə) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n , pl -ras, -ra | |
| a monetary unit of Serbia worth one hundredth of a dinar; formerly a monetary unit of Yugoslavia | |
| [C17: Serbo-Croat, via Turkish from Persian pārah piece, portion] | |
| para2 (ˈpærə) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a. a soldier in an airborne unit |
| b. an airborne unit | |
| 2. | a paragraph |
| para3 (ˈpɑːrɑː) | |
| —n , pl para | |
| horseshoe fern, Also called: king fern a New Zealand fern, Marattia salicina, with long heavy fronds | |
| [Māori] | |
| Pará (Portuguese paˈra) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a state of N Brazil, on the Atlantic: mostly dense tropical rainforest Capital: Belém. Pop: 6 453 683 (2002). Area: 1 248 042 sq km (474 896 sq miles) |
| 2. | another name for Belém |
| 3. | an estuary in N Brazil into which flow the Tocantins River and a branch of the Amazon. Length: about 320 km (200 miles) |
| para- or (before a vowel) par-1 | |
| —prefix | |
| 1. | beside; near: parameter; parathyroid |
| 2. | beyond: parapsychology |
| 3. | resembling: paramnesia |
| 4. | defective; abnormal: paraesthesia |
| 5. | subsidiary to: paraphysis |
| 6. | (usually in italics) ortho- Compare meta- p- denoting that an organic compound contains a benzene ring with substituents attached to atoms that are directly opposite across the ring (the 1,4- positions): paradinitrobenzene; para- |
| 7. | denoting an isomer, polymer, or compound related to a specified compound: paraldehyde; paracasein |
| 8. | Compare ortho- denoting the form of a diatomic substance in which the spins of the two constituent atoms are antiparallel: parahydrogen |
| [from Greek para (prep) alongside, beyond] | |
| par- or (before a vowel) par-1 | |
| —prefix | |
| [from Greek para (prep) alongside, beyond] | |
| para-2 | |
| —combining form | |
| indicating an object that acts as a protection against something: parachute; parasol | |
| [via French from Italian para-, from parare to defend, shield against, ultimately from Latin parāre to prepare] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Dictionary.com's 21st Century Lexicon
| Main Entry: | para |
| Part of Speech: | n |
| Definition: | See paraeducator |
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
para-
prefix meaning "alongside, beyond, altered, contrary," from Gk. para- from para (prep.) "beside, near, from, against, contrary to," cognate with Skt. para "beyond;" Hitt. para "on, forth;" L. pro "before, for, in favor of," per- "through;" Goth. faur "along;" O.E. for- "off, away" (see fore).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
para par·a (pār'ə)
n.
A woman who has given birth to an infant or infants.
para- or par-
pref.
Beside; near; alongside: paranucleus.
Beyond: parapsychology.
Incorrect; abnormal: paradipsia.
Similar to; resembling: paratyphoid.
Subsidiary; assistant: paramedical.
Isomeric; polymeric: paraldehyde.
A diatomic molecule in which the nuclei have opposite spin directions: parahydrogen.
Abbr. p- Of or relating to one of three possible isomers of a benzene ring with two attached chemical groups in which the carbon atoms with attached groups are separated by two unsubstituted carbon atoms. Usually in italic: para-bromoiodobenzene.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Abbreviations & Acronyms
| para paragraph |
The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
Hence, the simplest logical conclusion is that he did the trick using para-normal methods.
Acute rhino-sinusitis is an inflammatory condition of one or more of the para-nasal cavities that usually lasts up to four weeks.
The first case is called ortho, and the second para.
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