para
(ˈpɑːrə) n,
pl -ras or -ra (Currencies) 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]
para
(ˈpærə) n1. (Military)
a. a soldier in an airborne unit
b. an airborne unit
2. (Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) a paragraph
para
(ˈpɑːrɑː) n,
pl para or parae (Plants) a New Zealand fern, Marattia salicina, with long heavy fronds. Also called: horseshoe fern or king fern
[Māori]
Pará
(Portuguese paˈra) n1. (Placename) 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. (Placename) another name for
Belém 3. (Placename) an estuary in N Brazil into which flow the Tocantins River and a branch of the Amazon. Length: about 320 km (200 miles)
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
pa•ra1
(pɑˈrɑ, ˈpɑr ɑ)
n., pl. -ras, -ra. a monetary unit of Yugoslavia, equal to 1/100 of a dinar.
[1680–90; < Turkish < Persian pāra literally, piece]
par•a3
(ˈpær ə)
adj. pertaining to or occupying two positions (1, 4) in the benzene ring that are separated by two carbon atoms.
Abbr.: p- Compare
ortho, meta. par•a4
(ˈpær ə)
n., pl. par•as. Informal. 1. paraprofessional.
2. paratrooper.
par•a5
(ˈpær ə)
n., pl. par•as, par•ae (ˈpær i) 1. Also called
parity. a woman's status regarding the bearing of offspring: usu. followed by a numeral designating the number of times the woman has given birth.
Pa•rá
(pəˈrɑ)
n. 1. a state in N Brazil. 5,522,783; 481,869 sq. mi. (1,248,042 sq. km).
Cap.: Belém. 2. a river in N Brazil: the S estuary of the Amazon. 200 mi. (320 km) long.
para-1
, 1. a prefix appearing in loanwords from Greek, with the meanings “at or to one side of, beside, side by side” (parabola; paragraph), “beyond, past, by” (paradox); by extension designating objects or activities auxiliary to or derivative of that denoted by the base word (parody; paronomasia), and hence abnormal or defective (paranoia). As an English prefix, para-1 is also productive in the naming of occupational roles considered ancillary or subsidiary to roles requiring more training, or of a higher status: paralegal; paraprofessional.
2. a combining form used in the names of benzene derivatives in which the substituting group occupies the para position in the benzene ring.
Abbr.: p- Also, esp. before a vowel, par-.[< Greek para-, comb. form representing pará (preposition) beside, alongside of, by, beyond]
para-2
, a combining form meaning “guard against”: parachute; parasol.
[< French < Italian
para, 3d singular present of
parare to prepare against, ward off < Latin
parāre to
prepare]
para-3
, a combining form extracted from
parachute, forming compounds denoting persons or things utilizing parachutes or landed by parachute:
paratrooper. Para.
Paraguay.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.