parastatal meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

parastatal

noun

UK /paɹəˈsteɪtəl/ · US /ˌpæɹəˈsteɪdəl/

Etymology From French, equivalent to para- + statal.

Africa A company, agency, or intergovernmental organization that possesses political clout and is separate from the government, but whose activities serve the state, either directly or indirectly.

Synonyms: quango

parastatal

adj

Etymology From French, equivalent to para- + statal.

Pertaining to such a company or group.

‘Parastatal’ organizations – local councils, representatives of business, the Red Cross – had been increasingly filling the gap left by the government’s maladministration [...].2009, Diarmaid MacCulloch, A History of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years, Penguin, published 2010, page 918:

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.