in philosophy, a proposition seemingly absurd, as being contrary to some received opinion, but yet true in fact.

No science abounds more with paradoxes than geometry: thus, that a right line should continually approach to the hyperbola, and yet never reach it, is a true paradox; and in the same manner, a spiral may continually approach to a point, and yet not reach it, in any number of revolutions, however great.

PARÆA, in zoology. See COLUBER.