of persons, "performing part of a professional task but not having professional training or credentials," by 1961 in education, from para- (1) + professional (adj.). As a noun, "person without professional credentials or training to whom a part of a professional task is delegated," by 1968.
paraphrase
paraphrastic
paraplegia
paraplegic
parapraxis
paraprofessional
parapsychology
paraquat
parasail
parasite
parasitic