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par·a·gon

(părə-gŏn′, -gən)

1. A model of excellence or perfection of a kind; a peerless example: a paragon of virtue.

a. An unflawed diamond weighing at least 100 carats.

b. A very large spherical pearl.

3. Printing A type size of 20 points.

tr.v. par·a·goned, par·a·gon·ing, par·a·gons

1. To compare; parallel.

2. To equal; match.

[Obsolete French, from Old French, from Old Italian paragone, from paragonare, to test on a touchstone, perhaps from Greek parakonān, to sharpen : para-, alongside; see PARA-¹ + akonē, whetstone; see ak- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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