parergon
English
editEtymology
editFrom Ancient Greek πάρεργον (párergon, “subordinate or secondary business; by-work”), neuter of πάρεργος (párergos, “beside the main subject, subordinate, incidental”).
Pronunciation
editNoun
editparergon (plural parergons or parerga)
- A piece of work that is supplementary to or a byproduct of a larger work.
- 1945, J.C. Masterman, The Double-Cross System:
- […] the running and control of double agents is a[n] […] infinitely complicated task. It could not be done as a parergon by any intelligence department elsewhere […]