Paracmastic adjective [ Greek .... See Para- , and Acme .] (Medicine) Gradually decreasing; past the acme, or crisis, as a distemper. Dunglison.

Paraconic adjective [ Prefix par a- + acon itic.] (Chemistry) Pertaining to, or designating, an organic acid obtained as a deliquescent white crystalline substance, and isomeric with itaconic, citraconic, and mesaconic acids.

Paraconine noun [ Prefix para- + conine .] (Chemistry) A base resembling and isomeric with conine, and obtained as a colorless liquid from butyric aldehyde and ammonia.

Paracorolla noun [ Prefix para- + corolla .] (Botany) A secondary or inner corolla; a corona, as of the Narcissus.

Paracrostic noun [ Prefix para- + acrostic .] A poetical composition, in which the first verse contains, in order, the first letters of all the verses of the poem. Brande & C.

Paracyanogen noun [ Prefix para- + cyanogen .] (Chemistry) A polymeric modification of cyanogen, obtained as a brown or black amorphous residue by heating mercuric cyanide.

Paracymene noun [ Prefix para- + cymene .] (Chemistry) Same as Cymene .

Paradactylum noun ; plural Paradactyla . [ New Latin See Para- , and Dactyl .] (Zoology) The side of a toe or finger.

Parade noun [ French, from Spanish parada a halt or stopping, an assembling for exercise, a place where troops are assembled to exercise, from parar to stop, to prepare. See Pare , transitive verb ]
1. The ground where a military display is held, or where troops are drilled.

2. (Mil.) An assembly and orderly arrangement or display of troops, in full equipments, for inspection or evolutions before some superior officer; a review of troops. Parades are general, regimental, or private (troop, battery, or company), according to the force assembled.

3. Pompous show; formal display or exhibition.

Be rich, but of your wealth make no parade .

Swift.

4. That which is displayed; a show; a spectacle; an imposing procession; the movement of any body marshaled in military order; as, a parade of firemen.

In state returned the grand parade .

Swift.

5. Posture of defense; guard. [ A Gallicism.]

When they are not in parade , and upon their guard.

Locke.

6. A public walk; a promenade.

Dress parade , Undress parade . See under Dress , and Undress . -- Parade rest , a position of rest for soldiers, in which, however, they are required to be silent and motionless. Wilhelm.

Syn. -- Ostentation; display; show. -- Parade , Ostentation . Parade is a pompous exhibition of things for the purpose of display; ostentation now generally indicates a parade of virtues or other qualities for which one expects to be honored. "It was not in the mere parade of royalty that the Mexican potentates exhibited their power." Robertson. "We are dazzled with the splendor of titles, the ostentation of learning, and the noise of victories." Spectator.

Parade transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Paraded ; present participle & verbal noun Parading .] [ Confer French parader .]
1. To exhibit in a showy or ostentatious manner; to show off.

Parading all her sensibility.

Byron.

2. To assemble and form; to marshal; to cause to maneuver or march ceremoniously; as, to parade troops.

Parade intransitive verb
1. To make an exhibition or spectacle of one's self, as by walking in a public place.

2. To assemble in military order for evolutions and inspection; to form or march, as in review.

Paradigm noun [ French paradigme , Latin paradigma , from Greek ..., from ... to show by the side of, to set up as an example; para` beside + ... to show. See Para- , and Diction .]

1. An example; a model; a pattern. [ R.] "The paradigms and patterns of all things." Cudworth.

2. (Gram.) An example of a conjugation or declension, showing a word in all its different forms of inflection.

3. (Rhet.) An illustration, as by a parable or fable.

Paradigmatic noun (Eccl. Hist.) A writer of memoirs of religious persons, as examples of Christian excellence.

Paradigmatic, Paradigmatical adjective [ Greek paradeigmatiko`s .] Exemplary. -- Par`a*dig*mat"ic*al*ly , adverb [ Obsolete]

Paradigmatize transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Paradigmatized ; present participle & verbal noun Paradigmatizing .] [ Greek paradeigmati`zein . See Paradigm .] To set forth as a model or example. [ Obsolete] Hammond.

Paradisaic, Paradisaical adjective Of or pertaining to, or resembling, paradise; paradisiacal. " Paradisaical pleasures." Gray.

Paradisal adjective Paradisiacal.

Paradise noun [ Middle English & French paradis , Latin paradisus , from Greek para`deisos park, paradise, from Zend pairidaēza an inclosure; pairi around (akin to Greek ...) + diz to throw up, pile up; confer Sanskrit dih to smear, and English dough . Confer Parvis .]

1. The garden of Eden, in which Adam and Eve were placed after their creation.

2. The abode of sanctified souls after death.

To-day shalt thou be with me in paradise .

Luke xxiii. 43.

It sounds to him like her mother's voice,
Singing in Paradise .

Longfellow.

3. A place of bliss; a region of supreme felicity or delight; hence, a state of happiness.

The earth
Shall be all paradise .

Milton.

Wrapt in the very paradise of some creative vision.

Beaconsfield.

4. (Architecture) An open space within a monastery or adjoining a church, as the space within a cloister, the open court before a basilica, etc.

5. A churchyard or cemetery. [ Obsolete] Oxf. Gloss.

Fool's paradise . See under Fool , and Limbo . -- Grains of paradise . (Botany) See Melequeta pepper , under Pepper . -- Paradise bird . (Zoology) Same as Bird of paradise . Among the most beautiful species are the superb ( Lophorina superba ); the magnificent ( Diphyllodes magnifica ); and the six-shafted paradise bird ( Parotia sefilata ). The long-billed paradise birds ( Epimachinæ ) also include some highly ornamental species, as the twelve-wired paradise bird ( Seleucides alba ), which is black, yellow, and white, with six long breast feathers on each side, ending in long, slender filaments. See Bird of paradise in the Vocabulary. -- Paradise fish (Zoology) , a beautiful fresh-water Asiatic fish ( Macropodus viridiauratus ) having very large fins. It is often kept alive as an ornamental fish. -- Paradise flycatcher (Zoology) , any flycatcher of the genus Terpsiphone , having the middle tail feathers extremely elongated. The adult male of T. paradisi is white, with the head glossy dark green, and crested. -- Paradise grackle (Zoology) , a very beautiful bird of New Guinea, of the genus Astrapia , having dark velvety plumage with brilliant metallic tints. -- Paradise nut (Botany) , the sapucaia nut. See Sapucaia nut . [ Local, U. S.] -- Paradise whidah bird . (Zoology) See Whidah .

Paradise transitive verb To affect or exalt with visions of felicity; to entrance; to bewitch. [ R.] Marston.

Paradisean adjective Paradisiacal.

Paradised adjective Placed in paradise; enjoying delights as of paradise.

Paradisiac, Paradisiacal adjective [ Latin paradisiacus .] Of or pertaining to paradise; suitable to, or like, paradise. C. Kingsley. T. Burnet. "A paradisiacal scene." Pope.

The valley . . . is of quite paradisiac beauty.

G. Eliot.

Paradisial, Paradisian adjective Paradisiacal. [ R.]

Paradisic adjective Paradisiacal. [ R.] Broome.

Paradisical adjective Paradisiacal. [ R.]

Parados noun ; plural Paradoses . [ French, from parer to defend + dos back, Latin dorsum .] (Fort.) An intercepting mound, erected in any part of a fortification to protect the defenders from a rear or ricochet fire; a traverse. Farrow.

Paradox noun ; plural Paradoxes . [ French paradoxe , Latin paradoxum , from Greek ...; para` beside, beyond, contrary to + ... to think, suppose, imagine. See Para- , and Dogma .] A tenet or proposition contrary to received opinion; an assertion or sentiment seemingly contradictory, or opposed to common sense; that which in appearance or terms is absurd, but yet may be true in fact.

A gloss there is to color that paradox , and make it appear in show not to be altogether unreasonable.

Hooker.

This was sometime a paradox , but now the time gives it proof.

Shak.

Hydrostatic paradox . See under Hydrostatic .

Paradoxal adjective Paradoxical. [ Obsolete]

Paradoxer noun , Par"a*dox`ist noun One who proposes a paradox.

Paradoxical adjective
1. Of the nature of a paradox.

2. Inclined to paradoxes, or to tenets or notions contrary to received opinions. Southey.

-- Par`a*dox"ic*al*ly , adverb -- Par`a*dox"ic*al*ness , noun

Paradoxides noun [ New Latin ] (Paleon.) A genus of large trilobites characteristic of the primordial formations.

Paradoxology noun [ Paradox + -logy .] The use of paradoxes. [ Obsolete] Sir T. Browne.

Paradoxure (-dŏks"ur) noun [ Greek para`doxos incredible, paradoxical + o'yra` tail. So called because its tail is unlike that of the other animals to which it was supposed to be related.] (Zoology) Any species of Paradoxurus , a genus of Asiatic viverrine mammals allied to the civet, as the musang, and the luwack or palm cat ( Paradoxurus hermaphroditus ). See Musang .

Paradoxy noun
1. A paradoxical statement; a paradox.

2. The quality or state of being paradoxical. Coleridge

Paraffin (păr"ăf*fĭn), Par"af*fine noun [ French paraffine , from Latin parum too little + affinis akin. So named in allusion to its chemical inactivity.] (Chemistry) A white waxy substance, resembling spermaceti, tasteless and odorless, and obtained from coal tar, wood tar, petroleum, etc., by distillation. It is used as an illuminant and lubricant. It is very inert, not being acted upon by most of the strong chemical reagents. It was formerly regarded as a definite compound, but is now known to be a complex mixture of several higher hydrocarbons of the methane or marsh-gas series; hence, by extension, any substance, whether solid, liquid, or gaseous, of the same chemical series; thus coal gas and kerosene consist largely of paraffins .

» In the present chemical usage this word is spelt paraffin , but in commerce it is commonly spelt paraffine .

Native paraffin . See Ozocerite . - - Paraffin series . See Methane series , under Methane .

Parage noun [ French, from Latin par , adj., equal. Confer Peerage , Peer an equal.]
1. (Old Eng. Law) Equality of condition, blood, or dignity; also, equality in the partition of an inheritance. Spelman.

2. (Feudal Law) Equality of condition between persons holding unequal portions of a fee. Burrill.

3. Kindred; family; birth. [ Obsolete] Ld. Berners.

We claim to be of high parage .

Chaucer.

Paragenesis (păr`ȧ*jĕn"e*sĭs) noun [ Prefix para- + genesis .] (Min.) The science which treats of minerals with special reference to their origin.

Paragenesis noun [ New Latin ; para- + genesis .] (Geol.) (a) The formation of minerals in contact, so as to affect one another's development. (b) The order in which minerals occurring together in rocks and veins have developed.

Paragenic (-ĭk) adjective [ Prefix para- + the root of ge`nos birth.] (Biol.) Originating in the character of the germ, or at the first commencement of an individual; -- said of peculiarities of structure, character, etc.

Paraglobulin (-glŏb"u*lĭn) noun [ Prefix para- + globulin .] (Physiol. Chem.) An albuminous body in blood serum, belonging to the group of globulins. See Fibrinoplastin .

Paraglossa (-glŏs"sȧ) noun ; plural Paraglossæ (- sē). [ New Latin , from Greek para` beside + glw^ssa tongue.] (Zoology) One of a pair of small appendages of the lingua or labium of certain insects. See Illust. under Hymenoptera .

Paragnath noun (Zoology) Same as Paragnathus .

Paragnathous adjective (Zoology) Having both mandibles of equal length, the tips meeting, as in certain birds.

Paragnathus noun ; plural Paragnathi . [ New Latin See Para- , and Gnathic .] (Zoology) (a) One of the two lobes which form the lower lip, or metastome, of Crustacea. (b) One of the small, horny, toothlike jaws of certain annelids.

Paragoge noun [ Latin , from Greek ..., from ... to lead beside, protract; para` beside + ... to lead.]
1. (Gram.) The addition of a letter or syllable to the end of a word, as withouten for without .

2. (Medicine) Coaptation. [ Obsolete] Dunglison.

Paragogic, Paragogical adjective [ Confer French paragogique .] Of, pertaining to, or constituting, a paragoge; added to the end of, or serving to lengthen, a word.

Paragogic letters , in the Semitic languages, letters which are added to the ordinary forms of words, to express additional emphasis, or some change in the sense.

Paragon noun [ Old French paragon , French parangon ; confer Italian paragone , Spanish paragon , parangon ; probably from Greek ... to rub against; para` beside + ... whetstone; confer LGr. ... a polishing stone.]
1. A companion; a match; an equal. [ Obsolete] Spenser.

Philoclea, who indeed had no paragon but her sister.

Sir P. Sidney.

2. Emulation; rivalry; competition. [ Obsolete]

Full many feats adventurous
Performed, in paragon of proudest men.

Spenser.

3. A model or pattern; a pattern of excellence or perfection; as, a paragon of beauty or eloquence. Udall.

Man, . . . the paragon of animals !

Shak.

The riches of sweet Mary's son,
Boy-rabbi, Israel's paragon .

Emerson.

4. (Print.) A size of type between great primer and double pica. See the Note under Type .

Paragon transitive verb [ Confer Old French paragonner , French parangonner .]

1. To compare; to parallel; to put in rivalry or emulation with. [ Obsolete] Sir P. Sidney.

2. To compare with; to equal; to rival. [ R.] Spenser.

In arms anon to paragon the morn,
The morn new rising.

Glover.

3. To serve as a model for; to surpass. [ Obsolete]

He hath achieved a maid
That paragons description and wild fame.

Shak.

Paragon intransitive verb To be equal; to hold comparison. [ R.]

Few or none could . . . paragon with her.

Shelton.

Paragonite noun [ From Greek ..., present participle of ... to mislead.] (Min.) A kind of mica related to muscovite, but containing soda instead of potash. It is characteristic of the paragonite schist of the Alps.