parabolic

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The Word of the Day for August 25 is: 

parabolic   \pair-uh-BAH-lik\   adjective
     1 : expressed by or being a parable : allegorical 
    *2 : of, having the form of, or relating to a parabola : of, having the 
form of, or relating to a curve formed by the intersection of a cone with a 
plane parallel to a straight line in its surface

Example sentence:
     Astronomers have determined that the comet follows a parabolic orbit.

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": "parabole."

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. 





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