Where does “paragon” come from?
paragon (French) comes from Italian paragone, from Italian paragonare, from Ancient Greek παρακονάω, from Ancient Greek παρά, from Latin verēdus, from Gaulish werēdos, from Proto-Celtic *uɸoreidos — horse.
Ancestry of “paragon”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italian | paragone | comparison; A large size of type, standardized as... |
| 2 | Italian | paragonare | to compare |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | παρακονάω | I sharpen, whet; sharpen |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | παρά | |
| 5 | Latin | verēdus | A fast or light breed of horse; courier's horse; hunter |
| 6 | Gaulish | werēdos | horse |
| 7 | Proto-Celtic | *uɸoreidos | horse |