Paragon
[PAR-ə-gahn]
Part of speech: noun
Origin: Obsolete French, mid-16th century
1.
A perfect diamond of 100 carats or more.
2.
A person or thing regarded as a perfect example of a particular quality.
Examples of Paragon in a sentence
"I’ve never seen a paragon on display."
"She was a paragon of cherished virtues."
About Paragon
This word stems from obsolete French by way of the Italian “paragone,” meaning “touchstone to try good (gold) from bad.” Is originally from the medieval Greek “parakonē,” meaning “whetstone.”
Did you Know?
The largest flawless diamond in the world is The Paragon, a gem that weighs over 130 carats. The diamond’s current owner, London jeweller Graff Diamonds, cut it and set it into a necklace with other colored diamonds. It attracted a lot of attention in 1999 when it was linked to end-of-millennium celebrations — supermodel Naomi Campbell wore it at a diamond gala jointly sponsored by De Beers and Versace at London’s Syon House.
