"rear wall of a trench," 1917, earlier "elevation behind a fortified place" to protect it from attack in the rear (1853), literally "defense from the back," from French parados, from para- "defense" (see para- (2)) + dos "back" (see dossier).
paraclete
parade
paradigm
paradise
paradisiacal
parados
paradox
paradoxical
paradoxology
paraesthesia
paraffin