Prefix · beside / beyond / auxiliary
Signals beside, beyond, or an auxiliary role: paramedic, paranormal, paragraph, parallel.
Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated
Para- comes from Greek "para" (beside, alongside, beyond, against) and signals a lateral relationship, resemblance, or adjacent position. In literature: paragraph = the writing that goes "beside" or around a central point or idea. In medicine: paramedic = one who works "beside" physicians (emergency responder). In geometry: parallel = running "beside" or alongside. In culture: paranormal = beyond the normal.
Para- has slightly different senses by context: (1) "alongside/beside" (parallel, paramedic, paralegal); (2) "beyond" or "outside" (paranormal, paramilitary = a force operating beyond or outside the official military); (3) "resembling but not quite" (parody = imitation for comic effect); (4) medical: paralysis, parasite. It is one of the most versatile Greek prefixes in English.
Attaches to nouns and adjectives. Identical in Spanish and English:
Pronunciation: /ˈpærə/. Identical in Spanish and English.
para-/ˈpærə/
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By definition, a parasite harms or at least fails to benefit its host. Not all organisms that "depend" on others are parasites: mutualists benefit each other; commensals benefit without harming. Only the parasite benefits at the host's expense.
"Paranormal" (para- = beyond + normal) describes phenomena outside what science currently explains (ESP, telekinesis). "Supernatural" (super- = above + natural) implies an intervention from a higher order, typically divine. They are related but not identical concepts.
A trick to remember it
Para- = "beside" or "beyond": paramedic = works beside the physician, paranormal = beyond the normal, paragraph = writing beside or around a central point, parallel = running beside. Identical in Spanish and English. A "parasite" lives "beside" (on/in) its host at the host's expense.
Exercise 1 · Form the word
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
"Lines of latitude run ___ to the equator, maintaining the same distance from it at every point."
Exercise 3 · Pick the right one
What is the difference between "paranormal" and "supernatural"?
The prefix para- signals beside, beyond, or an auxiliary role: paramedic, paranormal, paragraph, parallel. In Spanish it usually maps to para-.
The prefix para- is pronounced /ˈpærə/. For example, "paramedic".
"medic" becomes "paramedic". It is a typical example of the para- prefix.
un-, re-, pre-, dis-, over-, in-... every beginning you need to unlock thousands of English words at once.