Parameter: A mathematical term of some complexity which has become perceived by the general public as having the broad meaning “a constant element or factor, especially serving as a limit or boundary.” This meaning is still at the controversial stage, the stage at which dictionaries and usage manuals attach the word “loosely” to the popular meaning, while mathematicians smile knowingly and exclude the word from their social vocabulary. Anyone feeling uneasy about parameter has a wide choice of near-synonyms to choose from: border, boundary, criterion, factor, limit, scope, etc; one of these is normally more suitable in context.
Robert Burchfield, The New Fowler’s Modern English Usage (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996)