paragon en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- păr′ə-gŏn″
- /ˈpæɹəˌɡɔn/ (General-American)
- /ˈpæɹəɡən/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈpæɹəˌɡɑn/ (General-American)
- păr′ə-gən
- (US) audio nMmmm
- /ˈpæɹəɡən/ (General-American)
- /ˈpær əˌɡən/ (US)
- /ˈpær əˌɡɒn/ (US)
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French paragon, paragone, from Old Italian paragone, from paragonare (“to test on a touchstone”), perhaps from Ancient Greek παρακονᾶν (parakonân, “to sharpen, whet”), from παρά- (pará-) + ἀκόνη (akónē, “whetstone, sharpening stone”), from ἀκή (akḗ, “point, edge”) (from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- (“sharp”)).
Meanings
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A person of preeminent qualities, who acts as a pattern or model for others.
A paragon must embody liberal democracy. To get its hands dirty defending it is below-stairs.
2023 February 11, Janan Ganesh, “After Germany’s fall, which is the paragon nation?”, in FT Weekend, London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 22:Liz Cheney and her father are positioning themselves as protectors of the old order, as paragons of truth and as defenders of our American norms.
2021 May 6, Charles M. Blow, “Liz Cheney, We Have a Memory. You’re No Hero.”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:Yes, there were instances of grandstanding and obsessive behaviour, but many were concealed at the time to help protect an aggressively peddled narrative of [Oscar] Pistorius the paragon, the emblem, the trailblazer.
2014 October 21, Oliver Brown, “Oscar Pistorius jailed for five years – sport afforded no protection against his tragic fallibilities”, in The Daily Telegraph (Sport):In the novel, Constanza is a paragon of virtue who would never compromise her reputation.
That thou might'st cherish for thine own / The riches of sweet Mary's son, / Boy-Rabbi, Israel's paragon.
1847, R[alph] W[aldo] Emerson, “Threnody”, in Poems, Boston, Mass.: James Munroe and Company, →OCLC, page 246:What a piece of worke is man! how Noble in Reaſon? […] the beauty of the world, the Parragon of Animals;
c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii], page 262, column 2:
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(obsolete) A companion; a match; an equal.
Philoclea, who indeed had no paragon but her sister
a. 1587, Philippe Sidnei [i.e., Philip Sidney], “(please specify the folio)”, in [Fulke Greville; Matthew Gwinne; John Florio], editors, The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia [The New Arcadia], London: […] [John Windet] for William Ponsonbie, published 1590, →OCLC:Nathlesse proud man himselfe the other deemed, Having so peerlesse paragon ygot
1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book IV, Canto II”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
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(obsolete) Comparison; competition.
good by paragone / Of euill, may more notably be rad, / As white seemes fairer, macht with blacke attone […].
1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto IX”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
- (dated) The size of type between great primer and double pica, standardized as 20-point.
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A flawless diamond of at least 100 carats.
The "Koh-i-noor," or "Mountain of Light," is the eighth and smallest of these paragon diamonds (all diamonds weighing over a hundred carats are called Paragon); but it was originally the largest diamond ever known, weighing uncut 900 carats. . . this matchless gem of 900 carats which once belonged to the Great Mogul, and was the very paragon of paragons.
November 1861, Anon ("E.L.L"), “Precious Stones”, in Temple Bar, volume III, page 377:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| paragons | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
paragonless · outparagon · paragonize · paragade
Synonyms
icon · paradigm · archetype · paragon · epitome · exemplar · example · quintessence · template · pattern · model
Translations (67)
nb paradeeksempel (model or pattern) · de Gegenüber (comparison; competition) · it paragone (20-point type) · de Vorbild (model or pattern) · ro pildă (model or pattern) · de Begleiter (companion) · es padrón (model or pattern) · nl toonbeeld (model or pattern) · cs vzor (model or pattern) · id pedoman (model or pattern) · bg образе́ц (model or pattern) · fi perikuva (model or pattern) · tr örnek (model or pattern) · pl rywalizacja (comparison; competition) · es paragón (comparison; competition) · cmn 典範 /典范 (model or pattern) · ga eiseamláir (model or pattern) · es parangón (comparison; competition) · cs druh (companion) · pl porównanie (comparison; competition) · de Paragon (20-point type) · ro etalon (model or pattern) · gv ard-hampleyr (model or pattern) · pl paragon (20-point type) · pl towarzysz (companion) · it paragone (comparison; competition) · te మేలుబంతి (model or pattern) · cs ideál (model or pattern) · nl paragon (20-point type) · de Muster (model or pattern) · pt modelo (model or pattern) · fr parangon (model or pattern) · ru образе́ц (model or pattern) · de Vergleich (comparison; competition) · fi esikuva (model or pattern) · de Secunda (20-point type) · cmn 二十點活字 /二十点活字 (20-point type) · cs paragon (20-point type) · he מוֹפֵת (model or pattern) · fa نمونه (model or pattern) · ro model (model or pattern) · cs ten, kdo jde příkladem (model or pattern) · cs soupeření (comparison; competition) · nb mønsterperson (model or pattern) · bg парагон (20-point type) · it paragone (companion) · de Wettbewerb (comparison; competition) · wuu 模範 /模范 (model or pattern) · pt exemplo (model or pattern) · cs srovnání (comparison; competition) · de Gleichgesinnter (companion) · de Gegenüber (companion) · tr eş (companion) · fr petit-parangon (20-point type) · tr denk (comparison; competition) · es dechado (model or pattern) · de Modell (model or pattern) · de Inbegriff (model or pattern) · de Leuchtturm (model or pattern) · de Musterknabe (model or pattern) · wuu 廿點活字 /廿点活字 (20-point type) · nb forbilde (model or pattern) · de Musterbeispiel (model or pattern) · pl wzór (model or pattern) · it ascendonica (20-point type) · cmn 模範 /模范 (model or pattern) · de Paradebeispiel (model or pattern)