Origin: Greek suffix -graph
Paragraph has 6 different meanings across 2 categories:
one of several distinct subdivisions of a text intended to separate ideas; the beginning is usually marked by a new indented line
"After realizing her essay needed better structure, she pressed Enter to start each new paragraph on an indented line."
A passage in text that starts on a new line, the first line sometimes being indented, and usually marks a change of topic.
"She started a new paragraph to shift the conversation from her vacation plans back to their overdue project deadline."
In plain English: A paragraph is a single block of text that groups together related sentences to make one complete idea easier to read.
"She read every paragraph of the contract carefully before signing it."
Usage: Use paragraph to refer to a distinct block of text separated by a blank line that develops a single idea or topic. Do not use it to describe individual letters, words, or entire books.
write paragraphs; work as a paragrapher
"After editing the article for flow, she spent hours restructuring it to ensure every section was written in distinct paragraphs."
To sort text into paragraphs.
"The editor spent an hour manually paragraphing the raw transcript to make it readable for the publication."
In plain English: To paragraph something means to divide it into separate sections with blank lines between them.
"She decided to paragraph her response to avoid getting into a detailed argument."
Usage: Do not use "paragraph" as a verb to mean sorting text; instead, use the word "format" or simply state that you are breaking up the text. The term "paragraph" functions exclusively as a noun in standard English to describe a distinct section of writing.
The word "paragraph" comes from the Latin paragraphus, which meant a sign marking the start of a new section in a text. This term was originally formed from Ancient Greek words meaning "beside" and "to write."