nonpareil
pronunciation
How to pronounce nonpareil in British English:
UK [ˌnɒnpəˈreɪl]
How to pronounce nonpareil in American English:
US [ˌnɑnpəˈrel]
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- Noun:
- model of excellence or perfection of a kind; one having no equal
- colored beads of sugar used as a topping on e.g. candies and cookies
- a flat disk of chocolate covered with beads of colored sugar
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- Adjective:
- eminent beyond or above comparison
Word Origin
- nonpareil
- nonpareil: see pair
- nonpareil (adj.)
- late 15c., "having no equal," from Middle French nonpareil "unequalled, peerless," from non- "not" (see non-) + pareil "equal." The noun meaning "an unequaled person or thing" is from 1590s; first applied to a kind of candy 1690s. As the name of a printing type (6 point size) it is attested from 1640s.
Example
- 1. But this nonpareil , which never needed sharpening and would never break .
- 2. American girls handy book : how to amuse yourself and others ( nonpareil books )
- 3. This paper remains a nonpareil platform for writing a column - not just for its readership , but also for its journalistic freedom .
- 4. But this one was the nonpareil , which never needed sharpening and would never break .
- 5. Can mcgrady , entering his 11th nba season , at long last live up to his nonpareil reputation and deliver a blue-collar , crunch-time effort in the post-season ?