Klryz
Pronunciation guide: IPA symbols, stress and word endings

Vowels

iːseeɪsite / ɛbedæcat
ɑːfatherɒhot (UK)ɔːlawʊput
uːtooʌcupɜːbirdəabout
eɪdayaɪmyɔɪboyaʊnow
əʊ / oʊgo (UK / US)ɪəneareəhairʊətour

Consonants that look unusual

θthinðthisʃsheʒmeasure
tʃchurchdʒjudgeŋsingjyes

p b t d k g f v s z h m n l r w sound as in ordinary English spelling.

Marks

  • ˈ main stress, before the stressed syllable: /ˈwɔːtə/ water · ˌ lighter (secondary) stress: /ˌʌndəˈstænd/ understand
  • ː a long vowel · (r) an r said only in accents that pronounce it (most American, Scottish, Irish)

Common word endings

  • -s / -es (plurals; he/she form of verbs): /s/ after voiceless sounds (cats), /z/ after voiced (dogs), /ɪz/ after s, z, sh, ch, j sounds (buses, watches). Spelling: -es after s, x, z, ch, sh; consonant + y → -ies (city → cities).
  • -ed (past): /t/ after voiceless sounds (walked), /d/ after voiced (played), /ɪd/ after t or d (wanted). Spelling: love → loved, stop → stopped, carry → carried.
  • -ing: make → making, run → running, see → seeing.
  • Irregular: go, went, gone · be, was, been · see, saw, seen · man → men · child → children · mouse → mice.
  • Older (King James) forms: -eth = -s (he loveth = he loves) · -est with “thou” (thou lovest) · spake = spoke.

English Dictionary · 107,383 entries · Sources & licences

paragon

UK /ˈpæɹəɡən/ · US /ˈpæɹəˌɡɔn/ noun, verb

Forms paragons paragoning paragoned

  1. noun A person of preeminent qualities, who acts as a pattern or model for others. “In the novel, Constanza is a paragon of virtue who would never compromise her reputation.”
  2. noun (obsolete) A companion; a match; an equal.
  3. noun (obsolete) Comparison; competition.
  4. noun (typography, printing, dated) The size of type between great primer and double pica, standardized as 20-point.
  5. noun (gemmology) A flawless diamond of at least 100 carats.
  6. verb To compare; to parallel; to put in rivalry or emulation with.
  7. verb To compare with; to equal; to rival.
  8. verb To serve as a model for; to surpass.
  9. verb To be equal; to hold comparison.

Synonyms

archetype epitome example exemplar icon model paradigm pattern quintessence template idol perfection beau ideal ideal nonpareil saint apotheosis nonesuch nonsuch

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French paragon, paragone, from Old Italian paragone, from paragonare (“to test on a touchstone”), perhaps from Ancient Greek παρακονᾶν (parakonân, “to sharpen, whet”), from παρά- (pará-) + ἀκόνη (akónē, “whetstone, sharpening stone”), from ἀκή (akḗ, “point, edge”) (from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- (“sharp”)).

Webster’s 1913

  1. noun A companion; a match; an equal. [Obs.] Spenser.
  2. noun Emulation; rivalry; competition. [Obs.]
  3. verb To compare; to parallel; to put in rivalry or emulation with.
  4. verb To compare with; to equal; to rival. [R.] Spenser.

Etymology [OF. paragon, F. parangon; cf. It. paragone, Sp. paragon, parangon; prob. fr. Gr. 1. A companion; a match; an equal. [Obs.]

Etymology [Cf. OF. paragonner, F. parangonner.]

Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “paragon”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details