Paragon

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈpæɹəɡən/

Definitions

1. A model of excellence or perfection that represents the finest example of its kind
2. An exceptionally outstanding individual or thing that serves as the supreme standard against which all others of its category are measured or compared
3. A person or thing regarded as the most perfect embodiment of a particular quality, virtue, or achievement, exemplifying the highest standard of excellence

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "paragon" is that its original sense was a test rather than a standard of perfection. In Italian, "paragonare" meant "to test on a touchstone," the dark stone goldsmiths and assayers used to check the purity of gold by rubbing metal against it and comparing the streak. A paragon was therefore the thing you measured other things against, and only later came to mean the excellent thing itself. The Italian verb is thought to derive from Greek "parakonân," meaning "to sharpen" or "to whet," built from "pará" (beside) and "akónē," a whetstone. The link to sharpening and testing makes sense once you see the touchstone as a tool for honing judgment about quality. The word passed into Middle French as "paragon" and from there into English, where it kept the sense of a model or standard of excellence.

Synonyms: model, exemplar, ideal

Antonyms: flaw, failure