parabola means the conic section formed by the intersection of a cone with a plane parallel to a tangent plane to the cone; the locus of points equidistant from a fixed point (the focus) and line (the directrix).
parabola is pronounced /pəˈɹæb.ə.lə/.
Why “parabola” is a great word
A symmetrical open curve formed by the intersection of a cone with a plane parallel to its side, defined as all points equidistant from a fixed focus and a fixed directrix. From New Latin parabola, from Ancient Greek παραβολή (parabolḗ, “comparison, juxtaposition”), from παραβάλλω (parabállō, “to set beside”), from παρά (pará, “beside”) + βάλλω (bállō, “to throw”). Unlike a “parable,” which sets a story beside a truth to illuminate it, or an “ellipse,” a closed curve bound by two focal points, the parabola is a geometric release into infinite possibility. It is the arc of a thrown stone against the sky, the precise geometry of a satellite dish gathering distant whispers, and the silent path of a diver cleaving the water’s surface—a perfect, open-ended trajectory forever balanced between a point and a line.
Etymology
Borrowed from New Latin parabola, from Ancient Greek παραβολή (parabolḗ), from παραβάλλω (parabállō, “to set side by side”), from παρά (pará, “beside”) + βάλλω (bállō, “to throw”). Doublet of parable, parole, and palaver.
noun
- The conic section formed by the intersection of a cone with a plane parallel to a tangent plane to the cone; the locus of points equidistant from a fixed point (the focus) and line (the directrix).
- Synonym of parable.
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- asymptote 82% match — A straight line which a curve approaches arbitrarily closely as it goes to infinity. The limit of the curve; its tangent "at infinity". vs parabola →
- symmetry 82% match — Exact correspondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis. vs parabola →
- spiral 80% match — A curve that is the locus of a point that rotates about a fixed point while continuously increasing its distance from that point. vs parabola →
- trajectory 79% match — The path an object takes as it moves. vs parabola →
- eccentricity 79% match — The quality of being eccentric or odd; any eccentric behaviour. vs parabola →
- parable 79% match — A short narrative illustrating a lesson (usually religious/moral) by comparison or analogy. vs parabola →
- helix 79% match — A curve on the surface of a cylinder or cone such that its angle to a plane perpendicular to the axis is constant; the three-dimensional curve seen in a screw or a spiral staircase. vs parabola →
- elliptical 78% match — In a shape of, or reminding of, an ellipse; oval. vs parabola →