'Parabola' definitions:
Definition of 'parabola'
(from WordNet)
noun
A plane curve formed by the intersection of a right circular cone and a plane parallel to an element of the curve
Definition of 'Parabola'
From: GCIDE
- Parabola \Pa*rab"o*la\, 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]
Synonyms of 'parabola'
From: Moby Thesaurus