parabola

noun

pa·​rab·​o·​la pə-ˈra-bə-lə 

1

: a plane curve generated by a point moving so that its distance from a fixed point is equal to its distance from a fixed line : the intersection of a right circular cone with a plane parallel to an element of the cone

2

: something bowl-shaped (such as an antenna or microphone reflector)

Illustration of parabola

• F fixed point
• CD fixed line
• x moving point
• AB axis
• xy distance from x to CD
• pp′ parabola

Examples of parabola in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The results surprised him: the parabola was no longer a lens, but at full opacity, a mirror. —Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 22 July 2024

Your eye is a parabola that focuses light, funneling it to your brain. —Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 22 July 2024

The mass splashes out toward the periphery, forming something concave—a parabola. —Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 22 July 2024

In the first step, the method allows a straight line in any triangle to bend into a parabola, and then, step by step, lines transition into ever more complex curves. —Manil Suri, Scientific American, 25 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin, borrowed from Greek parabolḗ "juxtaposition, placement of a figure in contact with another, parabola" — more at parable

First Known Use

1575, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

parabola

noun

pa·​rab·​o·​la pə-ˈrab-ə-lə 

1

: a curve formed by the intersection of a cone with a plane parallel to a straight line in its surface : a curve formed by a point moving so that its distance from a fixed point is equal to its distance from a fixed line

2

: something that is bowl-shaped

parabolic

ˌpar-ə-ˈbäl-ik

adjective