paradigm
UK[ˈpærədaɪm]US[ˈperədaɪm]
n
A typical example or pattern of something; a model.
n
A set of linguistic items that form mutually exclusive choices in particular syntactic roles.
n
In science and philosophy, a framework of concepts, results, and procedures that influences how problems are solved.
Morpheme Breakdown
para
digm
para
beside
digm
show, pattern
Etymology
The word 'paradigm' entered English in the late 15th century via Latin 'paradigma', which was borrowed from Greek 'paradeigma', meaning "pattern, model, example." The Greek term is a compound of 'para-' ("beside") and 'deiknynai' ("to show"). Literally, it meant "a showing or pattern placed beside" for comparison and imitation. This concrete sense of a side-by-side model evolved into the modern abstract meanings of a typical example, a linguistic pattern, or a dominant intellectual framework, as famously theorized by Thomas Kuhn.
Analysis
Structure: para (beside) + digm (show, pattern)
- para: From Greek, meaning "beside, alongside, beyond".
- digm: A reduced form from the Greek 'deiknynai', meaning "to show", appearing in English as the suffix '-digm' (as in paradigm) or related to '-dect-' (as in predicate).
Examples
His career is often cited as a paradigm of success in the industry.
The verb conjugation table presents the paradigm for regular '-ed' past tense formation.
Einstein's theory of relativity caused a paradigm shift in physics.