  Using a combination of single-crystal neutron scattering and reverse Monte
Carlo refinements, we study the magnetic structure of paramagnetic MnO at a
temperature (160\,K) substantially below the Curie-Weiss temperature
$|\theta|\sim550$\,K. The microscopic picture we develop reveals a
locally-ordered domain structure that persists over distances many times larger
than the correlation length implied by direct analysis of the spin correlation
function. Moreover, the directional dependence of paramagnetic spin
correlations in paramagnetic MnO differs in some important respects from that
of its incipient ordered antiferromagnetic state. Our results have implications
for the understanding of paramagnetic states in weakly-frustrated systems,
including high-temperature superconductors.
