paragon

****************************************************************
Make that summer reading all the more enjoyable with a subscription
to Merriam-Webster Unabridged--try a free 14-day trial today!
http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/unabridged_sub.pl?refr=U_wod
****************************************************************

The Word of the Day for June 6 is:

paragon   \PAIR-uh-gahn\   noun
      : a model of excellence or perfection

Example sentence:
      George and Muriel's marriage, which has lasted over 30 years and produced 
four children, is a paragon of domestic bliss.  

Did you know?
      "Paragon" derives from the Old Italian word "paragone," which literally 
means "touchstone" and comes from the Greek "parakonan," meaning "to sharpen." 
The prefix "para-" means "before" or "beside" and is found in many English 
words including "paradox," "paramedic," and "parallel." The second half of 
"parakonan" comes from "akone," meaning "whetstone." A touchstone is a black 
stone that was formerly used to judge the purity of gold or silver. The metal 
was rubbed on the stone and the color of the streak it left indicated its 
quality. In modern English, both "touchstone" and "paragon" have come to 
signify a standard against which something should be judged.