2 definitions found
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
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.
From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]:
parabola
n : a plane curve formed by the intersection of a right circular
cone and a plane parallel to an element of the curve
more about parabola
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