Meaning

noun an ideal instance; a perfect embodiment of a concept

noun model of excellence or perfection of a kind; one having no equal

originBorrowed 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”)).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0