paradigm
/ˈpæɹ.ə.daɪm/ noun
Forms paradigms paradigmata
- noun A pattern, a way of doing something; especially a pattern of thought, a system of beliefs, a conceptual framework. “Thomas Kuhn's landmark “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions” got people talking about paradigm shifts, to the point the word itself now suggests an incomplete or biased perspective.”
- noun An example serving as the model for such a pattern; an exceptionally good or prototypical example of a pattern or group.
- noun (linguistics) A set of all forms which contain a common element, especially the set of all inflectional forms of a word or a particular grammatical category. “The paradigm of "to sing" is "sing, sang, sung". The verb "to ring" follows the same paradigm.”
Synonyms
style model worldview template exemplar archetype poster child byspel case beau ideal case in point embodiment epitome eponym exemplification example exemplificator Exhibit A illustration incarnation prototype image substitution class
Etymology
From Middle English paradygme, from Late Latin paradīgma, from Ancient Greek παράδειγμα (parádeigma, “pattern”), from παραδείκνυμι (paradeíknumi, “I show [beside] or compare”) + -μα (-ma, suffix forming nouns concerning the results of actions). Doublet of paradigma.
Webster’s 1913
- noun An example; a model; a pattern. [R.] "The paradigms and patterns of all things." Cudworth.
- noun An example of a conjugation or declension, showing a word in all its different forms of inflection.
Etymology [F. paradigme, L. paradigma, fr. Gr. Para-, and Diction.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “paradigm”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details