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Paragon Has Old Italian and Greek Roots
Paragon derives from the Old Italian word paragone, which literally means "touchstone." A touchstone is a black stone that was formerly used to judge the purity of gold or silver. The metal was rubbed on the stone and the color of the streak it left indicated its quality. In modern English, both touchstone and paragon have come to signify a standard against which something should be judged. Ultimately, paragon comes from the Greek parakonan, meaning "to sharpen," from the prefix para- ("alongside of") and akonē, meaning "whetstone."
Examples of paragon in a Sentence
Philip Martin, Arkansas Online, 27 June 2025
But would elite athletes, these paragons of super-fitness, really take such a dumb risk?
—Alex Hutchinson, Outside Online, 2 June 2025
Trump, after all, is hardly a paragon of consistency.
—Reid Smith, Foreign Affairs, 18 June 2025
The game it was based on was not exactly a paragon of artistic merit to begin with.
—Calum Marsh, New York Times, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for paragon
Cite this Entry
“Paragon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paragon. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
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