para 1
/pah rah", pahr"ah/ , n. , pl. paras, para .
a former copper coin of Turkey, the 40th part of a piaster.
[ 1680-90; para lit., piece ]
para 2
/pah rah", pahr"ah/ , n. , pl. paras, para .
an aluminum-bronze coin and monetary unit of Yugoslavia, the 100th part of a dinar.
[ 1905-10; pàra 1 ]
para 3
/par"euh/ , adj. Chem.
1. pertaining to or occupying two positions (1, 4) in the benzene ring that are separated by two carbon atoms. Cf. ortho, meta 2 .
n.
2. para-dichlorobenzene.
[ 1875-80; independent use of PARA- 1 ]
para 4
/par"euh/ , n. Informal.
1. a paraprofessional.
2. a paratrooper.
[ 1955-60; by shortening of words compounded with PARA- 1 , PARA- 3 ]
para 5
/par"euh/ , n. , pl. paras, parae /par"ee/ . Obstetrics.
1. Also called parity . a woman's status regarding the bearing of viable offspring: usually followed by a Roman numeral designating the number of times the woman has given birth.
2. the woman herself. Cf. gravida .
[ 1880-85; extracted from PRIMAPARA, MULTIPARA, etc. ]