parergon

[ pa-rur-gon ]

/ pæˈrɜr gɒn /

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noun, plural par·er·ga

[pa-rur-guh]. /pæˈrɜr gə/.

something that is an accessory to a main work or subject; embellishment.

work undertaken in addition to one's principal work.

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Origin of parergon

First recorded in 1595–1605; <Latin parergon “extra ornament,” from Greek párergon “secondary business, side job,” noun use of neuter of párergos “beside the main subject, subordinate,” equivalent to par- par-¹ + érg(on) work + -os adj. suffix

Words nearby parergon

Parent-Teacher Association, parenty, pareo, parepididymis, parera, parergon, paresis, paresthesia, Pareto, pareu, pareunia

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use parergon in a sentence

Parergon, pa-rėr′gon, n. a by-work, any work subsidiary to another.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R)|Various
Ei d toutous ektrapomenos exelenchoimi, meizon an moi to parergon tou ergou genoito.
On the Natural Faculties|Galen
Two lines on ploughing are quoted from ‘liber parergon,’ i., but it is not certain whether this is an independent work.
The Student's Companion to Latin Authors|George Middleton
By 1595 the number of maps had increased to 119, including a Parergon or supplement of 12 maps illustrating ancient history.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 17, Slice 6|Various

Sometimes this making or doing was their profession; sometimes it was a parergon carried on deliciously in leisure hours.
The House by the River|A. P. Herbert

British Dictionary definitions for parergon

parergon

/ (pəˈrɛəɡɒn) /

noun plural -ga (-ɡə)

work that is not one's main employment

Word Origin for parergon

C17: from Latin, from Greek, from para- 1 + ergon work

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012