Paradigm

paradigm
    n 1: systematic arrangement of all the inflected forms of a word
    2: a standard or typical example; "he is the prototype of good
       breeding"; "he provided America with an image of the good
       father" [syn: {prototype}, {paradigm}, {epitome}, {image}]
    3: the class of all items that can be substituted into the same
       position (or slot) in a grammatical sentence (are in
       paradigmatic relation with one another) [syn: {substitution
       class}, {paradigm}]
    4: the generally accepted perspective of a particular discipline
       at a given time; "he framed the problem within the
       psychoanalytic paradigm"
    

Paradigm \Par"a*digm\, n. [F. paradigme, L. paradigma, fr. Gr.
   ?, fr. ? to show by the side of, to set up as an example;
   para` beside + ? to show. See {Para-}, and {Diction}.]
   [1913 Webster]
   1. An example; a model; a pattern. [R.] "The paradigms and
      patterns of all things." --Cudworth.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. (Gram.) An example of a conjugation or declension, showing
      a word in all its different forms of inflection.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. (Rhet.) An illustration, as by a parable or fable.
      [1913 Webster]

   4. (Science) 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.
      [PJC] Paradigmatic
    

63 Moby Thesaurus words for "paradigm":
      IC analysis, accidence, affix, affixation, allomorph, antetype,
      antitype, archetype, beau ideal, biotype, bound morpheme,
      classic example, conjugation, criterion, cutting, declension,
      derivation, difference of form, enclitic, epitome, example,
      exemplar, formative, free form, fugleman, fugler, genotype, ideal,
      imitatee, immediate constituent analysis, infix, infixation,
      inflection, lead, mirror, model, morph, morpheme,
      morphemic analysis, morphemics, morphology, morphophonemics,
      original, pattern, precedent, prefix, prefixation, proclitic,
      prototype, radical, representative, root, rule, standard, stem,
      suffix, suffixation, theme, type, type species, type specimen,
      urtext, word-formation