- Bon Iver is an American indie folk band founded and led by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon. “Paramind” is from Bon Iver’s song “29 #Strafford APTS”. Justin is known for using neologisms in his works, and “paramind” is yet another example of him creating new words to fit in the themes of his songs. Justin defines the term “multiple minds existing as one mind”. We can also reasonably infer the meaning of “paramind” from its morphemes. Here, “para-“ is a prefix with Greek roots meaning “beside, beyond, outside of”, and “para-mind” is seems to describe “ideas that exist beside each other”, hence “multiple minds existing as one mind”. In the song’s context, “paramind” operates as the chorus equivalent and contrasting to the line “canonize”. While “canonize” implies to prioritize and adore a certain something, “paramind” is used to convey a state of coexistence.
Paramind
noun
multiple minds existing as one mind (explained by the Justin Vernon)
Etymology : Affixation, “para-” + “mind”
Source : “Paramind, Paramind”(“29 #Strafford APTS”, Bon Iver, 2018)
Last modified: 20 December 2019