Parabola

Pronunciation

• IPA: /pəˈræbÉ™lÉ™/

Origin

From Ancient Greek παραβολή (parabolē), from παραβάλλω (paraballō, "I set side by side"), from παρά (para, "beside") + βάλλω (ballō, "I throw").

Full definition of parabola

Noun

1. (geometry) 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).
2. (rhetoric) The explicit drawing of a parallel between two essentially dissimilar things, especially with a moral or didactic purpose. A parable.