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

Furthermore, parabolas and hyperbolas are equivalent to ellipses, with the addition of one or two points at infinity, respectively. —Richard Jensen, Scientific American, 28 Apr. 2025

The instinctive run that had carried him into the six-yard box turned into a parabola that sent him racing back down the middle of the pitch. —Tom Williams, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2025

These derivatives can be used to construct a special quadratic equation — a parabola if your function lives in a 2D plane, and a cuplike shape called a paraboloid if your function is higher dimensional. —Kevin Hartnett, Quanta Magazine, 24 Mar. 2025

The only way to experience weightlessness without going to space is to ride aboard a plane that performs parabolas, with some including a few seconds of weightlessness. —Ailsa Harvey, Space.com, 17 Jan. 2025

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