parabolic

adjective

par·​a·​bol·​ic ˌper-ə-ˈbä-lik 

ˌpa-rə-

1

: expressed by or being a parable : allegorical

2

: of, having the form of, or relating to a parabola

motion in a parabolic curve

parabolically

ˌper-ə-ˈbä-li-k(ə-)lē 

ˌpa-rə-

adverb

Did you know?

The two distinct meanings of parabolic trace back to the development of Late Latin and New Latin. Late Latin is the Latin language used by writers in the third to sixth centuries. In that language, the word for "parable" was parabola—hence, the "parable" sense of parabolic. New Latin refers to the Latin used since the end of the medieval period, especially in regard to scientific description and classification. In New Latin, parabola names the same geometrical curve as it does in English. Both meanings of parabola were drawn from the Greek word for "comparison": parabolē.

Examples of parabolic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The giveaways are found not just in the various overgrown buildings and streets seen in the film, but in the specificity of one shot that features the remnants of the parabolic arches that define the center of Los Angeles International Airport. —Marco Della Cava, USA TODAY, 11 May 2024

It is not widely believed that Archimedes used a single parabolic mirror, as it cannot be aimed the same way a flat mirror can. —Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

(sense 1) Middle English parabolik, borrowed from Late Latin parabolicus, borrowed from Greek parabolikós "figurative," from parabolḗ "comparison, parable" + -ikos -ic entry 1; (sense 2) borrowed from New Latin parabolicus, from parabola parabola + -icus -ic entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

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