Other forms: paragons
A paragon is a perfect example of some quality. A paragon of virtue, no paragon, a paragon of efficiency.
It nearly always takes of and is very often ironic, since calling somebody a paragon of anything invites the exception. The Italian behind it means to test on a touchstone, which is how gold was judged.
1nounparagonA perfect example of some quality.
“His mother saw him as a paragon of virtue, but his teachers knew better.”
paragon is an example.
Italian paragone means a touchstone, from testing gold against a dark stone.
Proto-Indo-European
*h₂eḱ- — sharp
Ancient Greek
παρακονᾶν — to sharpen, whet
roa-oit
paragone
Middle French
paragon
English, today
paragon
Built from
Middle French paragon, paragone, from roa-oit paragone, from paragonare (“to test on a touchstone”), perhaps from Ancient Greek παρακονᾶν (“to sharpen, whet”), from παρά- + ἀκόνη, from ἀκή (“point, edge”) (from Proto-Indo-European h₂eḱ- (“sharp”)).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA