paradigma

paradigm; model

noun pah-rah-DEEG-mah Rare

Origin: From Greek paradeigma (pattern, example).

Usage Note

Paradigma ends in -a but is masculine — el paradigma — a pattern shared by several Greek-origin words in Spanish (el problema, el tema, el sistema). It is used both in the academic sense of a dominant theoretical framework (as in Kuhn's 'paradigm shift') and more loosely to mean a perfect example or model.

Examples

"Este descubrimiento supuso un cambio de paradigma."

Natural Translation

This discovery represented a paradigm shift.

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