What does 'para' mean?

Question

Why is this on the front of words like paraplegic, parachute, paranoid, paranormal, paralysed,

someone said it means painless hence the paralysed and parachute, but doesnt explain all the others.

I dont wanna know what it means in other languages, unless its directly relevant to why its used in english if you dont mind. Only a coherant explanation of why its used infront of the words i mentioned.

sorry to be fussy, but someone in the past had this question on here and all the answers (ironiclly) didnt answer the question.

Thanks guys and gals

Answer 1

para -
prefix meaning "alongside, beyond, altered, contrary," from Gk. para- from para (prep.) "beside, near, from, against, contrary to," cognate with Skt. para "beyond;" Hitt. para "on, forth;" L. pro "before, for, in favor of," per- "through;" Goth. faur "along;" O.E. for- "off, away" (see fore).

paranoia
"mental disorder characterized by systematized delusions," 1891 (earlier paranoea 1811), from Gk. paranoia "mental derangement, madness," from paranoos "mentally ill, insane," from para- "beside, beyond" + noos "mind." Paranoid (adj.) is first attested 1904, from paranoia + Gk. -oeides "like," from eidos "form, shape" (see -oid). The noun meaning "a paranoid person" is attested from 1922.

paraplegia
"paralysis of the lower half of the body," 1657, coined in Mod.L. from Ionic Gk. paraplegie "paralysis of one side of the body," from paraplessein "strike at the side," paraplessesthai "be stricken on one side," from para- "beside" + plessein "to strike" (see plague). The adj. paraplegic is attested from c.1822; the noun meaning "paraplegic person" is first recorded 1890. An earlier adj. form was paraplectic (1661).

parallel
1549, from M.Fr. parallèle, from L. parallelus, from Gk. parallelos "parallel," from para allelois "beside one another," from para "beside" + allelois "each other," from allos "other" (see alias). The verb is first recorded 1598. Parallel bars as gymnastics apparatus are recorded from 1868.

For more examples go to:
http://www.etymonline.com/abbr.php

Answer 2

Para Means

Answer 3

Meaning Of Paraplegic

Answer 4

parachute -from the French para: to protect; chute: a fall

paraplegic - from Greek para: beside; plegic from plessein: to strike

paranoid - from Greek word paranoos meaning mentally ill; para: beside; noos: mind

paranormal - beside/outside the norm

paralysed - from obsolete wry - contort, twist

there are numerous definitions for this prefix which vary depending on the rest of the word

in psycology para is a prefix used to describe symptoms that mimic one disorder, that are occurring within another disorder

in medicine it relates to the number of times a woman has given birth

Answer 5

Main Entry: 1para-
Variant(s): or par-
Function: prefix
Etymology: Greek, from para; akin to Greek pro before -- more at FOR
1 : beside : alongside of : beyond : aside from

Answer 6

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Para- means: 1. beside, near, alongside, beyond 2. abnormal, incorrect 3. resembling In this case, it comes from the Italian para-, imperative of parare, from Latin parare (“‘to shield’”) "Parachute" comes from its French etymology, para (protect against) and chute (falling).