nonpareil

Meaning

Adj

Unequalled, unrivalled; unique.

Noun

1. (countable) A person or thing that has no equal; a paragon.
2. (countable, uncountable) The blue underwing or Clifden nonpareil (Catocala fraxini), a species of moth distributed across the Palearctic; also (obsolete) any of a number of moths of other species.
3. (Australia, archaic, countable, uncountable) In full nonpareil parrot: an eastern rosella, of species Platycercus eximius, a rosella (parrot) native to southeastern Australia.
4. (US, countable, uncountable) A painted bunting (Passerina ciris), a brightly-coloured finch native to North America.
5. (archaic, countable, uncountable) In full nonpareil apple: an apple tasting both sweet and tart which ripens very late in the season; also, the tree producing this fruit.
6. (US, archaic, countable, uncountable) Any of various types of small sweets.
7. (US, broadly, countable, dated, uncountable) A small pellet of white or coloured sugar used as decoration on baked goods and candy.
8. (US, broadly, countable, uncountable) A small, flat chocolate drop covered with such pellets of sugar, similar to a comfit.
9. (US, broadly, countable, uncountable) A caper (“pickled edible flower bud”) of the smallest size.
10. (historical, uncountable) A size of type between ruby and emerald (or, in the United States, between agate and minion), standardized as 6-point; (countable) a slug of this size.

Opposite of

abnormal, atypical, exceptional, exotic, uncommon, endangered, extraordinary, rare, strange, unconventional, unique, unusual

Synonyms

matchless

unrivalled

nonesuch

peerless

unrivaled

nonsuch

unmatched

saint

unmatchable

one and only

one

apotheosis

unparalleled

incomparable

paragon

ideal

streusel

lodestar

ornament

quintessence

utopia

the best

design

chocolate candy

Translations

απαράμιλλος

Unvergleichliche

dechado

unvergleichliche

Nonpareille

eşsiz

ασύγκριτος

incomparável

inigualable

nomparell

insuperable

Ausnahmeerscheiunung

Verzierung

immillorable

unvergleichlich

Pronounced as (IPA)

/nɒnpəˈɹeɪ(l)/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: non-parail

In summary

From Late Middle English non-parail (“unparalleled, nonpareil”) [and other forms], from Middle French nonpareille, nonpareil (“unparalleled”) (obsolete), from non- (prefix meaning ‘not’) + pareil (“alike, like, same”). Pareil is derived from Old French pareil, from Late Latin pāriculus (“equal; like; of a number: even”), from Latin pār (“equal; like; of a number: even; suitable”) + -culus (a variant of -ulus (suffix forming diminutives)). Doublet of umpire.
Noun sense 4 (size of type standardized at 6-point) is usually taken to derive from the attractive type cut by the brothers Giovanni and Gregorio De Gregori (fl. 1482–1503 and 1496–1527 respectively) for their 1498 edition of the divine offices in Venice; it was for a long time the smallest-sized type in use.