parabolic
adjective
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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": parabolē.
Examples of parabolic in a Sentence
Tim Maurer, Forbes, 12 Jan. 2025
To simulate these conditions on Earth, scientists use parabolic flight paths, where an aircraft flies in a series of arcs to create brief periods of weightlessness.
—William Mullane, USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2025
The parabolic move higher that the Nasdaq has been one for the history books.
—Jeff Kilburg, CNBC, 13 Dec. 2024
The stock went parabolic between Friday and Monday, rallying roughly 38% in reaction to the bullish artificial intelligence outlook CEO Hock Tan provided on its earnings call .
—Jeff Marks, CNBC, 17 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Parabolic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/parabolic. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
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