paragon

English

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman paragone, peragone, Middle French paragon, from Italian paragone (“comparison”) or Spanish parangón, from paragonare, 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 (UK)

    (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. [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.

2. (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

   • 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. [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 […] .

4. (typography, printing, dated) The size of type between great primer and double pica, standardized as 20-point. [from 18th c.]
5. A flawless diamond of at least 100 carats.

Translations

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)

companion

• Czech: druh (cs) m
• German: Gegenüber (de) n, Begleiter (de) m, Gleichgesinnter (de) m
• Italian: paragone (it) m
• Turkish: eş (tr)

comparison; competition

• German: Vergleich (de) m, Wettbewerb (de) m, Gegenüber (de) m
• Italian: paragone (it) m
• Spanish: parangón (es) m
• Turkish: denk (tr)

20-point type

• Bulgarian: парагон m (paragon)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 二十點活字／二十点活字 (èrshídiǎn-huózì)

  Wu: 廿點活字／廿点活字 (nyae³tie² weh⁴zy³)

• Dutch: paragon
• French: petit-parangon (fr)
• German: Paragon (de), Secunda
• Italian: paragone (it), ascendonica
• Spanish: gran paragon

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: […] [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

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[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, lines 539–543, page 192:

     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[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:

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

4. To be equal; to hold comparison.

Translations

to compare

• Bulgarian: сравнявам (bg) (sravnjavam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 把…同…相比 (bǎ … tóng … xiāngbǐ)

  Wu: 拿…幫…比較／拿…帮…比较 ('nae¹ … paon¹ … pi²ciau³)

• German: vergleichen (de), mithalten (de), ebenbürtig sein, die Stirn bieten (de)
• Italian: paragonare (it)

to compare with

• Italian: paragonare (it)

to serve as a model for

• Finnish: olla esikuvana
• French: parangonner (fr)
• German: Vorbild sein, vorausgehen (de), modellhaft sein
• Turkish: örnek olmak (tr), örneklemek (tr)

to be equal

• Bulgarian: равнявам се (ravnjavam se)
• German: gleichauf sein, vergleichbar sein

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈparaɡon]

Noun

paragon m inan

1. receipt, sales slip

   Synonyms: stvrzenka, účtenka

Declension

Declension of paragon (hard masculine inanimate)

	singular	plural
nominative	paragon	paragony
genitive	paragonu	paragonů
dative	paragonu	paragonům
accusative	paragon	paragony
vocative	paragone	paragony
locative	paragonu	paragonech
instrumental	paragonem	paragony

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

paragon

Etymology

From the name of a German paper company called Paragon, from Italian paragone (“touchstone to try good (gold) from bad”), from Byzantine Greek παρακόνη (parakónē, “whetstone”).

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

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

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