ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary Builder›Word parts›Prefixes›para
PrefixGreek
para
beside, alongside; beyond
Greek para means beside: a parasite originally ate at another's table; parallel lines run alongside each other; a paraphrase places meaning in different words.
Words built from it
- parasite — An organism that lives on or in a host and feeds at its expense; also, a person who lives off others.
Greek parasitos: para- (beside) + sitos (food, grain), originally someone eating at another's table - paraphrase — To restate something in different words.
Greek paraphrasis: para- (alongside) + phrasis (expression), from phrazein (express) - paradox — A statement or situation that seems contradictory but may reveal a truth.
Greek paradoxos: para- (contrary to) + doxa (opinion, expectation) - parallel — Running alongside at a constant distance; also, similar in important ways.
Greek parallelos: para- (beside) + allelon (one another) - paragraph — A section of writing that develops one topic or point.
Greek paragraphos: para- (beside) + graphein (write), originally a mark written beside text to show a division - parody — An imitation of a work or style that exaggerates its features for humor.
Greek paroidia: par- (beside) + oide (song), an imitation that sets one song beside another
Looks like it, but is not
- disparity — Its par comes from Latin par, 'equal.' Disparity is inequality, unrelated to Greek para.
- compare — From Latin com-, 'together,' and par, 'equal,' through comparare. This par is Latin, not Greek.
- paramount — From Old French par amont, 'above.' Its par comes from Latin per, 'through,' not Greek para.
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