parergon

English

Etymology

From Ancient Greek πάρεργον (párergon, “subordinate or secondary business; by-work”), neuter of πάρεργος (párergos, “beside the main subject, subordinate, incidental”).

Noun

parergon (plural parergons or parerga)

  1. 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 […]
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