para

/paɾa/ · A1 · prep

for, to

🎁 para = por + a: heading toward a goal, a person or a deadline

Old Spanish pora fused por (through, for) with a (to), later shifting to para. That built-in a (to) explains every sense: to a recipient, to a purpose, to a due date. As a prefix, para- (paramilitary) is a separate Greek borrowing meaning beside.

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