English
parabolic
Parabolic comes from Ancient Greek παραβολικός ‘parabolic, of or pertaining to a parable’, from παραβολή ‘a placing of two things side by side,…’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH- ‘to hit by throwing’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷelH-1‘to hit by throwing’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷl̥-ne-h₁-1reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*gʷəlnō1reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEβάλλω2‘to throw’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπαραβάλλω3‘to set side by side’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπαραβολή4‘a placing of two things side by side, juxtaposition’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπαραβολικός5parabolikós‘parabolic, of or pertaining to a parable’
- Englishtodayparabolic5
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek βάλλω
- 2 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek παραβάλλω
- 3 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek παραβολή
- 4 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek παραβολικός
- 5 Wiktionary, English parabolic
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷelH-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek βάλλω‘to hit by throwing’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷl̥-ne-h₁-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek βάλλωreconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*gʷəlnōWiktionary, Ancient Greek βάλλωreconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEβάλλωWiktionary, Ancient Greek παραβάλλω‘to throw’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπαραβάλλωWiktionary, Ancient Greek παραβολή‘to set side by side’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπαραβολήWiktionary, Ancient Greek παραβολικός‘a placing of two things side by side, juxtaposition’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπαραβολικόςWiktionary, English parabolicparabolikós‘parabolic, of or pertaining to a parable’
- EnglishtodayparabolicWiktionary, English parabolic
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH- ‘to hit by throwing’
ball, quail, quill, quell, obelisk, pul, 65 more
through Proto-Hellenic *gʷəlnō
symbolic, ballistic, ballista, symbolist, 36 more
through Ancient Greek βάλλω ‘to throw’
problem, devil, symbol, emblem, metabolic, hyperbolic, embolism, anabolic, metabolize, hyperbola, 35 more
through Ancient Greek παραβολή ‘a placing of two things side by side,…’
Today it means
adj Of, or pertaining to, or in the shape of a parabola or paraboloid.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “parabolic”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Ancient Greek βάλλω, Ancient Greek παραβάλλω, Ancient Greek παραβολή, Ancient Greek παραβολικός. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH- / parabolic