paragon

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)

    (file)

    (Mary–marry–merry distinction)

Noun

paragon (plural paragons)

1. A person of preeminent qualities, who acts as a pattern or model for others.

   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 Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, , 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)‎:

     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.

   • 2021 May 6, Charles M. Blow, “Liz Cheney, We Have a Memory. You’re No Hero.”, in The New York Times‎, →ISSN:

     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.

   • 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.

2. (obsolete) A companion; a match; an equal.
   • a. 1587, Philippe Sidnei [i.e., Philip Sidney], “(please specify the page number)”, in Fulke Greville, Matthew Gwinne, and John Florio, editors, The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia [The New Arcadia], London: for William Ponsonbie, published 1590, →OCLC; republished in Albert Feuillerat, editor, The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia (Cambridge English Classics: The Complete Works of Sir Philip Sidney; I), Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: University Press, 1912, →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

3. (obsolete) Comparison; competition.
   • 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 […] .

4. (typography, printing, dated) The size of type between great primer and double pica, standardized as 20-point.
5. A flawless diamond of at least 100 carats.

Translations

Verb

paragon (third-person singular simple present paragons, present participle paragoning, simple past and past participle paragoned)

1. To compare; to parallel; to put in rivalry or emulation with.
   • a. 1587, Philippe Sidnei [i.e., Philip Sidney], “(please specify the page number)”, in Fulke Greville, Matthew Gwinne, and John Florio, editors, The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia [The New Arcadia], London: for William Ponsonbie, published 1590, →OCLC; republished in Albert Feuillerat, editor, The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia (Cambridge English Classics: The Complete Works of Sir Philip Sidney; I), Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: University Press, 1912, →OCLC:

     for want of a bigger , to paragon the little one with Artesia's length

2. To compare with; to equal; to rival.
   • 1612–1620, [Miguel de Cervantes], Thomas Shelton, transl., The History of the Valorous and Wittie Knight-errant Don-Quixote of the Mancha. , London: William Stansby, for Ed 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 , editor, The Athenaid, a Poem, , volume III, London: T 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.

3. 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 Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :

     He hath achieved a maid / That paragons description and wild fame.

4. To be equal; to hold comparison.

Translations

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

• parangon

Etymology

Genericized trademark of the German paper company Paragon, from Italian paragone, from Byzantine Greek παρακόνη (parakónē).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Noun

paragon m inan

1. receipt, sales slip

   Synonyms: stvrzenka, účtenka

Declension

Further reading

• paragon in Příruční slovník jazyka českého, 1935–1957
• paragon in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989
• paragon in Internetová jazyková příručka

Polish

Polish Wikipedia has an article on:

paragon

Wikipedia ^pl

Etymology

Genericized trademark of the German paper company Paragon, from Italian paragone, from Byzantine Greek παρακόνη (parakónē).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /paˈra.ɡɔn/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɡɔn
• Syllabification: pa‧ra‧gon

Noun

paragon m inan

1. receipt (written acknowledgement that a specified article or sum of money has been received)

Declension

Further reading

• paragon in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• paragon in Polish dictionaries at PWN