D defs.my
Entry 4 senses Webster, 1913

Paradigm

/păr′ədīm/ · Par·a·digm · IPA /ˈpæɹ.ə.dɑem/
01 n. An example; a model; a pattern.
  1. 1.
    An example; a model; a pattern.[R.]
  2. 2.
    An example of a conjugation or declension, showing a word in all its different forms of inflection.(Gram.)
  3. 3.
    An illustration, as by a parable or fable.(Rhet.)
  4. 4.
    A theory providing a unifying explanation for a set of phenomena in some field, which serves to suggest methods to test the theory and develop a fuller understanding of the topic, and which is considered useful until it is be replaced by a newer theory providing more accurate explanations or explanations for a wider range of phenomena.(Science)