Parabolics

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Relating to the use of parabolas or characterized by their geometric properties
2. Pertaining to shapes that resemble parabolas or exhibiting qualities linked to parabolic curves or equations
3. Describing phenomena or objects that demonstrate the characteristics of parabolas in mathematics or physics

Etymology: "Parabolics" is simply the plural of "parabolic," the adjective that describes things shaped like a parabola, and it is the plural that the word takes when it names the family of curves themselves. The adjective traces back to Ancient Greek "parabolikos," which belonged to the same family of words as "parabole," meaning a comparison or placing side by side. Greek mathematicians used "parabole" for the curve, and the adjective followed that sense. The Greek noun "parabole" is built from "para," meaning beside or alongside, and "ballein," meaning to throw. The image is of one thing set beside another so that they can be compared, which is also why the same root gave Greek and later English the sense of a story that teaches by comparison. The mathematical curve took its name from a related idea of application, in which a figure is laid alongside a line of fixed length.