paragon

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”)).

noun

1. A person of preeminent qualities, who acts as a pattern or model for others.
   In the novel, Constanza is a paragon of virtue who would never compromise her reputation.
   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. 21 October 2014, Oliver Brown, “Oscar Pistorius jailed for five years – sport afforded no protection against his tragic fallibilities”, in The Daily Telegraph (Sport)
   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. 2021-05-06, Charles M. Blow, “Liz Cheney, We Have a Memory. You’re No Hero.”, in The New York Times, →ISSN
   A paragon must embody liberal democracy. To get its hands dirty defending it is below-stairs. 2023-02-11, Janan Ganesh, “After Germany's fall, which is the paragon nation?”, in FT Weekend, page 22
2. (obsolete) A companion; a match; an equal.
3. (obsolete) Comparison; competition.
4. (typography, printing, dated) The size of type between great primer and double pica, standardized as 20-point.
5. A flawless diamond of at least 100 carats.

verb

1. To compare; to parallel; to put in rivalry or emulation with.
2. To compare with; to equal; to rival.
3. To serve as a model for; to surpass.
4. To be equal; to hold comparison.