Dictionary
pa•ra
Pronunciation: (pä-rä', pär'ä), [key]—
n.,
—pl. -ras, -ra.
a former copper coin of Turkey, the 40th part of a piaster.
pa•ra
Pronunciation: (pä-rä', pär'ä), [key]—
n.,
—pl. -ras, -ra.
an aluminum-bronze coin and monetary unit of Yugoslavia, the 100th part of a dinar.
par•a
Pronunciation: (par'u), [key]—
adj. Chem.
pertaining to or occupying two positions (1, 4) in the benzene ring that are separated by two carbon atoms. Cf.
ortho, meta 2.
—
n.
para-dichlorobenzene.
par•a
Pronunciation: (par'u), [key]—
n. Informal.
1. a paraprofessional.
2. a paratrooper.
par•a
Pronunciation: (par'u), [key]—
n.,
—pl. par•as, par•aePronunciation: (par'ē). [key]
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. Cf.
gravida. Pa•rá
Pronunciation: (pä-rä'), [key]—
n.
1. an estuary in N Brazil: an arm of the Amazon. 200 mi. (320 km) long; 40 mi. (65 km) wide.
2. Belém.
3. See
Pará rubber. para-
1. 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.
2. Chem.a combining form designating the para (1, 4) position in the benzene ring.
Abbr.: p-. Cf.
meta- (def. 2c),
ortho- (def. 2b). See diag. under
ortho-. Also, esp. before a vowel,par-.para-
a combining form meaning “guard against,” occurring in loanwords from French, or, via French, from Italian:
parachute; parasol. para-
a combining form extracted from
parachute, forming compounds denoting persons or things utilizing parachutes or landed by parachute:
paradrop; paradoctor; paraglider; paratrooper. Para.
Paraguay.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
