Definition of "paradigm"

paradigm

/ˈpæɹ.ə.daɪm/

noun
plural paradigms or paradigmata
1. (now often derogatory) a pattern of thought, a system of beliefs, a conceptual framework.
2. An example serving as the model for such a pattern.
  Quotations
  According to the Fourth Circuit, “Coca-Cola” is “the paradigm of a descriptive mark that has acquired secondary meaning”.
  2000, Estate of William F. Jenkins v. Paramount Pictures Corp.
  DRT is a paradigm example of a dynamic semantic theory, […]
  2003, Nicholas Asher, Alex Lascarides, Logics of Conversation, Cambridge University Press, page 46
3. (linguistics) A set of all forms which contain a common element, especially the set of all inflectional forms of a word or a particular grammatical category.