paragon
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English
Etymology
From Anglo-Norman paragone, peragone, Middle French paragon, from Italian paragone (“comparison”) or Spanish parangón, from Mediaeval Greek παρακόνη (parakonē, "whetstone"), from Ancient Greek παρακονάω (parakonáō, “I sharpen, whet”), from παρά (pará) + ἀκόνη (akónē, “whetstone”) (from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- (“sharp”)).
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈpæɹəɡən/
Audio (Southern England): (file)
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈpæɹəˌɡɔn/, /ˈpæɹəˌɡɑn/, /ˈpæɹəɡən/
Audio (US, without the Mary–marry–merry merger): (file)
Noun
paragon (plural paragons)
- A person of preeminent qualities, who acts as a pattern or model for others. [from 16th c.]
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:model
- In the novel, Constanza is a paragon of virtue who would never compromise her reputation.
- 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:
- What a piece of worke is man! how Noble in Reaſon? […] the beauty of the world, the Parragon of Animals;
- 1847, R[alph] W[aldo] Emerson, “Threnody”, in Poems, Boston, Mass.: James Munroe and Company, →OCLC, page 246:
- That thou might'st cherish for thine own / The riches of sweet Mary's son, / Boy-Rabbi, Israel's paragon.
- 2014 October 21, Oliver Brown, “Oscar Pistorius jailed for five years – sport afforded no protection against his tragic fallibilities”, in The Daily Telegraph (Sport)[1]:
- 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.
- 2023 February 11, Janan Ganesh, “After Germany's fall, which is the paragon nation?”, in FT Weekend, page 22:
- A paragon must embody liberal democracy. To get its hands dirty defending it is below-stairs.
- (obsolete) A companion; a match; an equal. [16th–19th c.]
- 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:
- Philoclea, who indeed had no paragon but her sister
- 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book IV, Canto II”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
- Nathlesse proud man himselfe the other deemed,
Having so peerlesse paragon ygot
- (obsolete) Comparison; competition. [16th–17th c.]
- 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto IX”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
- good by paragone / Of euill, may more notably be rad, / As white seemes fairer, macht with blacke attone […] .
- (typography, printing, dated) The size of type between great primer and double pica, standardized as 20-point. [from 18th c.]
- A flawless diamond of at least 100 carats.
Translations
model or pattern
|
companion
comparison; competition
20-point type
Verb
paragon (third-person singular simple present paragons, present participle paragoning, simple past and past participle paragoned)
- To compare; to parallel; to put in rivalry or emulation with.
- 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:
- for want of a bigger , to paragon the little one with Artesia's length
- To compare with; to equal; to rival.
- 1612–1620, [Miguel de Cervantes], translated by Thomas Shelton, The History of the Valorous and Wittie Knight-errant Don-Quixote of the Mancha. […], London: […] William Stansby, for Ed[ward] Blount and W. Barret, →OCLC:
- Few or none could for Feature paragon with her, and much less excel her.
- a. 1786, [Richard Glover], “Book the Twenty-seventh”, in [Mrs. Halsey], editor, The Athenaid, a Poem, […], volume III, London: […] T[homas] Cadell, […], published 1787, →OCLC, page 192, lines 539–543:
- In arms anon to paragon the morn, / The morn new-riſing, whoſe vermillion hand / Draws from the bright'ning front of heav'n ſerene / The humid curtains of tempeſtuous night, / Mardonius mounts his courſer.
- To serve as a model for; to surpass.
- c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:
- He hath achieved a maid / That paragons description and wild fame.
- To be equal; to hold comparison.
Translations
to compare
|
to compare with
|
to serve as a model for
|
to be equal
|
Further reading
- “paragon”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “paragon”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
paragon on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
Czech
Alternative forms
Etymology
Genericized trademark of the German paper company Paragon, from Italian paragone, from Byzantine Greek παρακόνη (parakónē).
Pronunciation
Noun
paragon m inan
Declension
Further reading
- “paragon”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
- “paragon”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
- “paragon”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech)
Polish
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Etymology
Genericized trademark of the German paper company Paragon, from Italian paragone, from Byzantine Greek παρακόνη (parakónē).
Pronunciation
Noun
paragon m inan
- receipt (written acknowledgement that a specified article or sum of money has been received)
Declension
Declension of paragon
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | paragon | paragony |
| genitive | paragonu | paragonów |
| dative | paragonowi | paragonom |
| accusative | paragon | paragony |
| instrumental | paragonem | paragonami |
| locative | paragonie | paragonach |
| vocative | paragonie | paragony |
Further reading
Categories:
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