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Parakite

A train or series of kites on one string and flying tandem, used for attaining great heights and for sending up instruments for meteorological observations or a man for military reconnaissance; also, a kite of such a train.

Paralactic

Designating an acid called paralactic acid. See Lactic acid, under Lactic.

Paralbumin

A proteidlike body found in the fluid from ovarian cysts and elsewhere. It is generally associated with a substance related to, if not identical with, glycogen.

Paraldehyde

A trimer of acetaldehyde (C6H12O3), prepared by polymerization of acetaldehyde with hydrochloric and sulfuric acids. It has sedative and hypnotic properties.

Paraleipsis

A pretended or apparent omission; a figure by which a speaker artfully pretends to pass by what he really mentions; as, for example, if an orator should say, /I do not speak of my adversary's scandalous venality and rapacity, his brutal conduct, his treachery and malice./

Paralgesia

Disordered sensibility to pain, including absence of sensibility to pain, excessive sensibility to pain, and abnormal painful results of stimuli.

Paralipomenon

A title given in the Douay Bible to the Books of Chronicles.

Parallax

The apparent displacement, or difference of position, of an object, as seen from two different stations, or points of view.

parallax second

An annual parallax of one second of an arc; -- applied to celestial objects outside the solar system. It is used to measure the distance of an astronomical object from the Earth. A star which has an annual parallax of one second of an arc is considered to be one parsec (3.26 light years) distant from the earth. See parsec in the vocabulary.

Parallel

To be parallel; to correspond; to be like.

parallel-park

To park (a vehicle) parallel to the curb; -- contrasted with angle-park; as, to get a driver's license, one needs to be able to parallel-park.

parallel-parking

The act or process of parking parallel to the curb; -- contrasted with angle-parking.

Parallelistic

Of the nature of a parallelism; involving parallelism.

Parallelogram

A right-lined quadrilateral figure, whose opposite sides are parallel, and consequently equal; -- sometimes restricted in popular usage to a rectangle, or quadrilateral figure which is longer than it is broad, and with right angles.

Parallelopiped

A solid, the faces of which are six parallelograms, the opposite pairs being parallel, and equal to each other; a prism whose base is a parallelogram.

Paralogism

A reasoning which is false in point of form, that is, which is contrary to logical rules or formul/; a formal fallacy, or pseudo-syllogism, in which the conclusion does not follow from the premises.

Paralogize

To reason falsely; to draw conclusions not warranted by the premises.

Paralysis

Abolition of function, whether complete or partial; esp., the loss of the power of voluntary motion, with or without that of sensation, in any part of the body; palsy. See Hemiplegia, and Paraplegia. Also used figuratively; as, paralysis of the will.

Paralyzation

The act or process of paralyzing, or the state of being paralyzed.

Param

A white crystalline nitrogenous substance (C2H4N4); -- called also dicyandiamide.

paramagnet

A substance exhibiting paramagnetism, i.e. a substance whose magnetization is proportional to the strength of the magnetic field applied to it.

Paramagnetic

Having or exhibiting paramagnetism; -- opposed to diamagnetic and contrasted with ferromagnetic. A paramagnetic substance.

Paramagnetism

A property of materials which are not magnetized in the absence of an external magnetic field, but in which the magnetic moments of their constituents align with and enhance an applied magnetic field; the induced magnetic field of the substance is in direct proportion to the strength of the applied magnetic field; -- opposed to diamagnetic and contrasted with ferromagnetic.

Paramaleic

Pertaining to, or designating, an acid obtained from malic acid, and now called fumaric acid.

Paramalic

Pertaining to, or designating, an organic acid metameric with malic acid.

Paramastoid

Situated beside, or near, the mastoid portion of the temporal bone; paroccipital; -- applied especially to a process of the skull in some animals.

Paramatta

A light fabric of cotton and worsted, resembling bombazine or merino.

paramedic

A person who is trained to give first aid and other emergency medical assistance in the absence of a physician, and to assist a physician in the administration of health care. Paramedics are often associated with police, firefighting units, or rescue squads.

paramedical

Of or pertaining to those providing medical care who are not physicians but serve in the capacity of assisting physicians; nurses, physiotherapists, dieticians, Physical Therapy instructors, and respiratory therapy technicians are examples of paramedical personnel.

Parament

Ornamental hangings, furniture, etc., as of a state apartment; rich and elegant robes worn by men of rank; -- chiefly in the plural.

Paramere

One of the symmetrical halves of any one of the radii, or spheromeres, of a radiate animal, as a starfish.

Parameter

A constant number which is part of a theory, function, or calculation, whose value is not determined by the form of the theory or equation itself, and may in some cases be arbitrary assigned.

Parametritis

Inflammation of the cellular tissue in the vicinity of the uterus.

Paramitome

The fluid portion of the protoplasm of a cell.

Paramo

A high, bleak plateau or district, with stunted trees, and cold, damp atmosphere, as in the Andes, in South America.

Paramorph

A kind of pseudomorph, in which there has been a change of physical characters, by a change in crystal structure without alteration of chemical composition, as the change of aragonite to calcite; called also allomorph.

Paramorphism

The change of one mineral species to another, so as to involve a change in physical characters without alteration of chemical composition.

Paramorphous

Relating to paramorphism; exhibiting paramorphism.

Paramour

A lover, of either sex; a wooer or a mistress (formerly in a good sense, now only in a bad one); one who takes the place, without possessing the rights, of a husband or wife; -- used of a man or a woman.

Paramours Paramour

By or with love, esp. the love of the sexes; -- sometimes written as two words.

Paramylum

A substance resembling starch, found in the green frothy scum formed on the surface of stagnant water.

parang

A stout strait-edged knife used in Malayasia and Indonesia.

paranoia

A chronic form of insanity characterized by very gradual impairment of the intellect, systematized delusion, and usually by delusions of persecution or mandatory delusions producing homicidal tendency. In its mild form paranoia may consist in the well-marked crotchetiness exhibited in persons commonly called /cranks./ Paranoiacs usually show evidences of bodily and nervous degeneration, and many have hallucinations, esp. of sight and hearing.

paranoid

Affected with paranoia; as, a paranoid schizophrenic.

paranormal

Of or pertaining to parapsychology; pertaining to forces or mental processes, such as extrasensory perception or psychokinesis, outside the possibilities defined by natural or scientific laws; as, paranormal phenomena.

Paranymph

A friend of the bridegroom who went with him in his chariot to fetch home the bride. The bridesmaid who conducted the bride to the bridegroom.

Parapegm

An engraved tablet, usually of brass, set up in a public place.

Parapeptone

A proteinaceous body formed in small quantity by the peptic digestion of proteids. It can be converted into peptone by pancreatic juice, but not by gastric juice.

Paraph

To add a paraph to; to sign, esp. with the initials.

Parapherna

The property of a woman which, on her marriage, was not made a part of her dower, but remained her own.

Paraphernal

Of or pertaining to paraphernalia; as, paraphernal property.

Paraphimosis

A condition in which the prepuce, after being retracted behind the glans penis, is constricted there, and can not be brought forward into place again.

Paraphragma

One of the outer divisions of an endosternite of Crustacea.

Paraphrastic

Paraphrasing; of the nature of paraphrase; explaining, or translating in words more clear and ample than those of the author; not literal; free.

Paraphysis

A minute jointed filament growing among the archegonia and antheridia of mosses, or with the spore cases, etc., of other flowerless plants.

Paraplegy Paraplegia

Palsy of the lower half of the body on both sides, caused usually by disease of the spinal cord.

Parapleura

A chitinous piece between the metasternum and the pleuron of certain insects.

Parapodium

One of the lateral appendages of an annelid; -- called also foot tubercle.

Parapophysis

The ventral transverse, or capitular, process of a vertebra. See Vertebra.

parapsychological

Of or pertaining to parapsychology; pertaining to forces or mental processes outside the possibilities defined by natural or scientific laws; as, parapsychological research.

parapsychology

The field of study concerned with psychological phenomena not explainable by the laws of physics, especially extrasensory perception, telepathy, psychokinesis, precognition, and clairvoyance.

Parapterum

A special plate situated on the sides of the mesothorax and metathorax of certain insects.

Parasang

A Persian measure of length, which, according to Herodotus and Xenophon, was thirty stadia, or somewhat more than three and a half miles. The measure varied in different times and places, and, as now used, is estimated at from three and a half to four English miles.

Parascenium

One of two apartments adjoining the stage, probably used as robing rooms.

Parasceve

Among the Jews, the evening before the Sabbath.

Paraschematic

Of or pertaining to a change from the right form, as in the formation of a word from another by a change of termination, gender, etc.

Paraselene

A mock moon; an image of the moon which sometimes appears at the point of intersection of two lunar halos. Cf. Parhelion.

Parashah

A lesson from the Torah, or Law, from which at least one section is read in the Jewish synagogue on every Sabbath and festival.

Parasita

An artificial group formerly made for parasitic insects, as lice, ticks, mites, etc. A division of copepod Crustacea, having a sucking mouth, as the lerneans. They are mostly parasites on fishes. Called also Siphonostomata.

Parasital

Of or pertaining to parasites; parasitic.

parasiticidal

Capable of destroying parasites, especially capable of expelling or destroying parasitic worms.

parasol

A kind of small umbrella used by women as a protection from the sun.

Parasphenoid

Near the sphenoid bone; -- applied especially to a bone situated immediately beneath the sphenoid in the base of the skull in many animals. The parasphenoid bone.

Parastichy

A secondary spiral in phyllotaxy, as one of the evident spirals in a pine cone.

Paratactic

Of pertaining to, or characterized by, parataxis.

Parataxis

The mere ranging of propositions one after another, without indicating their connection or interdependence; -- opposed to syntax.

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