Part 56

Man, . . . the paragon of animals !

Shak.

The riches of sweet Mary's son, Boy-rabbi, Israel's paragon.

Emerson.

4. (Print.) A size of type between great primer and double pica. See the Note under Type.

Par"a*gon, v. t. [Cf. OF. paragonner, F. parangonner.]

1. To compare; to parallel; to put in rivalry or emulation with. [Obs.] Sir P. Sidney.

2. To compare with; to equal; to rival. [R.] Spenser.

In arms anon to paragon the morn, The morn new rising.

Glover.

3. To serve as a model for; to surpass. [Obs.]

He hath achieved a maid That paragons description and wild fame.

Shak.

Par"a*gon, v. i. To be equal; to hold comparison. [R.]

Few or none could . . . paragon with her.

Shelton.

Pa*rag"o*nite (?), n. [From Gr. &?;, p. pr. of &?; to mislead.] (Min.) A kind of mica related to muscovite, but containing soda instead of potash. It is characteristic of the paragonite schist of the Alps.

Par"a*gram (?), n. [Gr. &?; that which one writes beside. See Paragraph.] A pun.

Puns, which he calls paragrams.

Addison.

Par`a*gram"ma*tist (?), n. A punster.

||Pa`ra*gran"di*ne (?), n. [It., from parare to parry + grandine hail.] ||An instrument to avert the occurrence of hailstorms. See ParagrÍle. ||Knight.

Par"a*graph (?), n. [F. paragraphe, LL. paragraphus, fr. Gr. para`grafos (sc. grammh`) a line or stroke drawn in the margin, fr. paragra`fein to write beside; para` beside + gra`fein to write. See Para- , and Graphic, and cf. Paraph.] 1. Originally, a marginal mark or note, set in the margin to call attention to something in the text, e. g., a change of subject; now, the character ∂, commonly used in the text as a reference mark to a footnote, or to indicate the place of a division into sections.

This character is merely a modification of a capital P (the initial of the word paragraph), the letter being reversed, and the black part made white and the white part black for the sake of distinctiveness.

2. A distinct part of a discourse or writing; any section or subdivision of a writing or chapter which relates to a particular point, whether consisting of one or many sentences. The division is sometimes noted by the mark &?;, but usually, by beginning the first sentence of the paragraph on a new line and at more than the usual distance from the margin.

3. A brief composition complete in one typographical section or paragraph; an item, remark, or quotation comprised in a few lines forming one paragraph; as, a column of news paragraphs; an editorial paragraph.

Par"a*graph, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Paragraphed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Paragraphing.]

1. To divide into paragraphs; to mark with the character ∂.