parabola

[ puh-rab-uh-luh ]

See synonyms for parabola on Thesaurus.com

nounGeometry.

a plane curve formed by the intersection of a right circular cone with a plane parallel to a generator of the cone; the set of points in a plane that are equidistant from a fixed line and a fixed point in the same plane or in a parallel plane. Equation: y2 = 2px or x2 = 2py.

Origin of parabola

1570–80; <New Latin <Greek parabolḗ an application. See parable

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use parabola in a sentence

Everything becomes a sort of calculation against the geometry and parabolas of the IDF.
Dodging Rockets in Afghanistan as the Taliban’s Fighting Season Begins | Nick Willard | May 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The arc of Hathahate is like one of those U-ish parabolas from algebra class.
The Cult of Hathahaters: Will It Hurt Anne Hathaway’s Oscar Chances? | Kevin Fallon | January 20, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
The three lightly dotted parabolas are the curves of maximum moment for each of the loads taken separately.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3 | Various
But more than once the parabolas had been stored next to a shed -- and the passing sun set the sheds on fire!
The BYU Solar Cooker/Cooler | Steven E. Jones
I learned that an altruistic group had offered reflecting parabolas to the people living at the Altiplano in Bolivia.
The BYU Solar Cooker/Cooler | Steven E. Jones

One hears the whistling parabolas of the flutes and clarinets of "Scheherazade" in "Mlada," in "Sadko," in a half-dozen works.
Musical Portraits | Paul Rosenfeld
Through four points of which none is at infinity either two or no parabolas may be drawn.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 6 | Various

British Dictionary definitions for parabola

parabola

/ (pəˈræbələ) /

noun

a conic section formed by the intersection of a cone by a plane parallel to its side. Standard equation: y ² = 4 ax, where 2 a is the distance between focus and directrix

Origin of parabola

C16: via New Latin from Greek parabolē a setting alongside; see parable

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for parabola

parabola

[ pə-răb′ə-lə ]

The curve formed by the set of points in a plane that are all equally distant from both a given line (called the directrix) and a given point (called the focus) that is not on the line.

Cultural definitions for parabola

parabola

[ (puh-rab-uh-luh) ]

A geometrical shape (see geometry) consisting of a single bend and two lines going off to an infinite distance.

Notes for parabola

An object that is propelled away from the Earth and then drawn back by gravity, such as a fly ball in baseball, follows a path shaped like a parabola.

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