[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

parabola \parab"ola\, n.; pl. parabolas. nl., fr. gr. ?; --
   so called because its axis is parallel to the side of the
   cone. see parable, and cf. parabole. geom.
   a a kind of curve; one of the conic sections formed by the
       intersection of the surface of a cone with a plane
       parallel to one of its sides. it is a curve, any point of
       which is equally distant from a fixed point, called the
       focus, and a fixed straight line, called the directrix.
       see focus.
   b one of a group of curves defined by the equation y =
       ax^n where n is a positive whole number or a positive
       fraction. for the cubical parabola n = 3; for the
       semicubical parabola n = 3/2. see under cubical, and
       semicubical. the parabolas have infinite branches, but
       no rectilineal asymptotes.
       1913 webster
see also:
parabolas parable parabole focus n cubical parabola 
semicubical parabola cubical semicubical 

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Parabolas, definition of term: Parabolas
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