Which term demonstrates the PARA- prefix meaning near or beside?

Which term demonstrates the PARA- prefix meaning near or beside?

• A. Paramedic
• B. Parabola
• C. Parallelogram
• D. Parole

Answer: (A)

Para- means near or beside. A paramedic is a medical professional who works beside or alongside other healthcare providers, delivering emergency care in the field. This clearly shows the sense of the prefix as being near or alongside someone in a practical, everyday context. The other terms use para- in different ways: parabola is a geometric term whose para- comes from a Greek root related to being beside or thrown beside but its meaning isn’t about proximity to a caregiver; parallelogram describes sides that run parallel or beside each other in geometry, again a different use of the root; parole derives from French and means a word or promise, not a prefix meaning near or beside.

Para- means near or beside. A paramedic is a medical professional who works beside or alongside other healthcare providers, delivering emergency care in the field. This clearly shows the sense of the prefix as being near or alongside someone in a practical, everyday context. The other terms use para- in different ways: parabola is a geometric term whose para- comes from a Greek root related to being beside or thrown beside but its meaning isn’t about proximity to a caregiver; parallelogram describes sides that run parallel or beside each other in geometry, again a different use of the root; parole derives from French and means a word or promise, not a prefix meaning near or beside.