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paragon
[ par-uh-gon, -guhn ]
/ ˈpær əˌgɒn, -gən /
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This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun
verb (used with object)
OTHER WORDS FOR paragon
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Origin of paragon
First recorded in 1540–50; from Middle French paragon, parangon “model,” from Old Italian paragone “touchstone,” from paragonare “to compare, test on a touchstone,” from Greek parakonân “to sharpen, whet,” equivalent to para- “beside, alongside” + akonân “to sharpen, whet,” a derivative of akónē “whetstone, bone”
OTHER WORDS FROM paragon
par·a·gon·less, adjectiveWords nearby paragon
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use paragon in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for paragon
paragon
/ (ˈpærəɡən) /
noun
a model of excellence; patterna paragon of virtue
a size of printer's type, approximately equal to 20 point
verb (tr)
archaic
- to equal or surpass
- to compare
- to regard as a paragon
Word Origin for paragon
C16: via French from Old Italian paragone comparison, from Medieval Greek parakonē whetstone, from Greek parakonan to sharpen against, from para- 1 + akonan to sharpen, from akonē whetstone
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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