para|mount /pæ rəmaʊnt/ ADJ Something that is paramount or of paramount importance is more important than anything else. □ The child's welfare must be seen as paramount.
par|amour /pæ rəmʊə r / (paramours ) N‑COUNT [oft poss N ] Someone's paramour is their lover. [OLD-FASHIONED ]
para|noia /pæ rənɔ I ə/
1 N‑UNCOUNT If you say that someone suffers from paranoia , you think that they are too suspicious and afraid of other people. □ The mood is one of paranoia and expectation of war.
2 N‑UNCOUNT In psychology, if someone suffers from paranoia , they wrongly believe that other people are trying to harm them, or believe themselves to be much more important than they really are.
para|noi|ac /pæ rənɔ I æk/ ADJ Paranoiac means the same as paranoid . [FORMAL ]
para|noid /pæ rənɔ I d/ (paranoids )
1 ADJ If you say that someone is paranoid , you mean that they are extremely suspicious and afraid of other people. □ [+ about ] I'm not going to get paranoid about it. □ …a paranoid politician who saw enemies all around him.
2 ADJ Someone who is paranoid suffers from the mental illness of paranoia. □ …paranoid delusions. □ …a paranoid schizophrenic. ● N‑COUNT A paranoid is someone who is paranoid.
para|nor|mal /pæ rənɔː r m ə l/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] A paranormal event or power, for example the appearance of a ghost, cannot be explained by scientific laws and is thought to involve strange, unknown forces. □ Science may be able to provide some explanations of paranormal phenomena. ● N‑SING You can refer to paranormal events and matters as the paranormal . □ We have been looking at the shadowy world of the paranormal.
para|pet /pæ rəp I t/ (parapets )
1 N‑COUNT A parapet is a low wall along the edge of something high such as a bridge or roof.
2 PHRASE If you say that someone puts their head above the parapet , you mean they take a risk. If you say they keep their head below the parapet , you mean they avoid taking a risk. [BRIT ]
para|pher|na|lia /pæ rəfə r ne I liə/
1 N‑UNCOUNT You can refer to a large number of objects that someone has with them or that are connected with a particular activity as paraphernalia . □ …a large courtyard full of builders' paraphernalia.
2 N‑UNCOUNT If you disapprove of the things and events that are involved in a particular system or activity, and you think they are unnecessary, you can refer to them as paraphernalia . [DISAPPROVAL ] □ [+ of ] The public don't necessarily want the paraphernalia of a full hearing.
para|phrase /pæ rəfre I z/ (paraphrases , paraphrasing , paraphrased )
1 VERB If you paraphrase someone or paraphrase something that they have said or written, you express what they have said or written in a different way. □ [V n] Parents, to paraphrase Philip Larkin, can seriously damage your health. □ [V ] I'm paraphrasing but this is honestly what he said.
2 N‑COUNT A paraphrase of something written or spoken is the same thing expressed in a different way.
para|plegia /pæ rəpliː dʒə/ N‑UNCOUNT Paraplegia is the condition of being unable to move the lower half of your body. [MEDICAL ]
para|plegic /pæ rəpliː dʒ I k/ (paraplegics ) N‑COUNT A paraplegic is someone who cannot move the lower half of their body, for example because of an injury to their spine. ● ADJ Paraplegic is also an adjective. □ A passenger was injured so badly he will be paraplegic for the rest of his life.
para|psy|chol|ogy /pæ rəsa I kɒ lədʒi/ N‑UNCOUNT Parapsychology is the study of strange mental abilities that seem to exist but cannot be explained by accepted scientific theories.
para|quat /pæ rəkwæt/ N‑UNCOUNT Paraquat is a very poisonous substance that is used to kill weeds. [TRADEMARK ]
para|site /pæ rəsa I t/ (parasites )
1 N‑COUNT A parasite is a small animal or plant that lives on or inside a larger animal or plant, and gets its food from it.
2 N‑COUNT If you disapprove of someone because you think that they get money or other things from other people but do not do anything in return, you can call them a parasite . [DISAPPROVAL ] WORD HISTORY parasite
Parasite comes from Greek parasitos , meaning 'someone who eats at someone else's table'.
para|sit|ic /pæ rəs I t I k/ also parasitical
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Parasitic diseases are caused by parasites. □ Will global warming mean the spread of tropical parasitic diseases?
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Parasitic animals and plants live on or inside larger animals or plants and get their food from them. □ …tiny parasitic insects.
3 ADJ If you describe a person or organization as parasitic , you mean that they get money or other things from people without doing anything in return. [DISAPPROVAL ]
para|sol /pæ rəsɒl, [AM ] -sɔːl/ (parasols ) N‑COUNT A parasol is an object like an umbrella that provides shade from the sun.
para|troop|er /pæ rətruːpə r / (paratroopers ) N‑COUNT [usu pl] Paratroopers are soldiers who are trained to be dropped by parachute into battle or into enemy territory.
para|troops /pæ rətruːps/ The form paratroop is used as a modifier. N‑PLURAL Paratroops are soldiers who are trained to be dropped by parachute into battle or into enemy territory. □ British paratroops began to drop from the sky.