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ok, enough of the elaborate metaphor and let's get back to the ostensible topic...
The prefix "para" has many meanings: alongside of, beside, near, resembling, beyond, apart from, abnormal. (Not to be confused with the term "para", which means to bring forth or bear, eg a multipara is a woman who has given birth several times.)
In the medical line of things -
paranoia (unfounded or excessive fears about others)
paraparesis (weak legs)
paraphimosis (cured by circumcision)
paraplegia (paralysis of the lower part of the body)
paraphilia (complex psychiatric disorder manifested as deviant sexual behaviour)
parasitemia (presence of a parasite in the blood)
parasitosis (infection or infestation with parasites)
parasuicide (apparent attempt at suicide, in which the aim is not death)
paracentesis (removal of fluid from a body cavity using a hollow instrument)
Some others, from my 1930s thesaurus -
parachronism (false estimate of time)
paraleipsis (rhetorical term referring to neglect)
paraphernalia
parasite
parallel
paralysis
paraffin (ok now we're getting silly)
parachute, parasite, parapet, paragraph
paradox
paradise
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