English [ edit ]
Etymology [ edit ]
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 [ edit ]
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.
2021 May 6, Charles M. Blow, “Liz Cheney, We Have a Memory. You’re No Hero.”, in The New York Times [2] , →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.
( obsolete ) A companion ; a match ; an equal . [16th–19th c.]
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: [ … ] [ John Windet] 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
( obsolete ) Comparison ; competition . [16th–17th c.]
( 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 [ edit ]
model or pattern
Bulgarian: образе́ц (bg) m ( obrazéc )
Chinese:
Mandarin: 典範 / 典范 (zh) ( diǎnfàn ) , 模範 / 模范 (zh) ( mófàn )
Wu: 模範 / 模范
Czech: vzor (cs) m , ten, kdo jde příkladem m , ideál m
Dutch: toonbeeld (nl)
Finnish: perikuva (fi) , esikuva (fi)
French: parangon (fr)
German: Vorbild (de) n , Muster (de) n , Leuchtturm (de) m , Inbegriff (de) m , Modell (de) n , Paradebeispiel (de) n , Musterknabe m
Hebrew: מוֹפֵת (he) m ( mofét )
Indonesian: pedoman (id)
Irish: eiseamláir f
Manx: ard-hampleyr m
Persian: نمونه (fa) ( nemune )
Polish: wzór (pl) m
Portuguese: modelo (pt) , exemplo (pt)
Romanian: pildă (ro) f , model (ro) n , etalon (ro) n
Russian: образе́ц (ru) ( obrazéc )
Spanish: modelo (es) m , dechado (es)
Telugu: మేలుబంతి (te) ( mēlubanti )
Turkish: örnek (tr)
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 page number) ”, in Fulke Greville , Matthew Gwinne , and John Florio , editors, The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia [The New Arcadia ], London: [ … ] [ John Windet] 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
To compare with; to equal ; to rival .
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 [ edit ]
Further reading [ edit ]
“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
Alternative forms [ edit ]
Etymology [ edit ]
Genericized trademark of the German paper company Paragon, from Italian paragone , from Byzantine Greek παρακόνη ( parakónē ) .
Pronunciation [ edit ]
paragon m inan
receipt , sales slip
Synonyms: stvrzenka , účtenka
Declension [ edit ]
Declension of paragon (hard masculine inanimate )
Further reading [ edit ]
paragon in Příruční slovník jazyka českého , 1935–1957
paragon in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého , 1960–1971, 1989
paragon in Internetová jazyková příručka
paragon
Etymology [ edit ]
Genericized trademark of the German paper company Paragon, from Italian paragone , from Byzantine Greek παρακόνη ( parakónē ) .
Pronunciation [ edit ]
IPA (key ) : /paˈra.ɡɔn/
Rhymes: -aɡɔn
Syllabification: pa‧ra‧gon
paragon m inan
receipt ( written acknowledgement that a specified article or sum of money has been received )
Declension [ edit ]
Further reading [ edit ]
paragon in Wielki słownik języka polskiego , Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
paragon in Polish dictionaries at PWN