paradise (English)

Where does "paradise" come from?

The English noun 'paradise' traces its lineage from Proto-Iranian *paridayjah[1], meaning a walled enclosure, which is formed from roots meaning 'around' and 'to knead or form'[6]. This traveled through Ancient Greek as 'παράδεισος'[1][3] and Latin as 'paradīsus'[1][2] before entering Old French as 'paradis'[1][5]. The term then passed into Late Old English 'paradīs' and Middle English 'paradis'[1], eventually displacing the native Old English 'neorxnawang'. It shares a doublet relationship with 'parvis'.

Open questions

• The exact structural nature and derivation of the Proto-Indo-European root are debated, with various laryngeal reconstructions proposed. [10]

Full etymology tree

• paradise (English), 'The place where sanctified souls are believed to live after death.'
  • inherited paradis (Middle English)
    • inherited paradis (Old English), 'paradise'
      • borrowed paradis (Old French), 'paradise'
        • inherited paradisus (Latin), 'park, orchard, yard'
          • inherited παράδεισος (parádeisos) (Ancient Greek), 'the garden owned by the Persian nobility'
            • inherited *paridayjah (Proto-Iranian), 'circular boundary wall; place enclosed by a circular boundary wall'
              • compound *pari- (Proto-Iranian)
                • inherited *pari- (Proto-Indo-Iranian)
                  • inherited *péri (Proto-Indo-European), 'around'
              • compound *dáyjah (Proto-Iranian)
                • inherited *dʰáyȷ́ʰas (Proto-Indo-Iranian)
                  • inherited *dʰóyǵʰos (Proto-Indo-European), 'something that is kneaded, formed'
                    • inherited *dʰeyǵʰ- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to knead'

Ancestors

• paradis (Old English)
• paradis (Old French)
• paradisus (Latin)
• παράδεισος (Ancient Greek)
• *paridayjah (Proto-Iranian)

Cognates and doublets

• parvis (English)

Descendants and derived words

• another day in paradise (English)
• bird of paradise (English)
• disparadise (English)
• disparadised (English)
• disparadised (English)
• earthly paradise (English)
• eastern paradise whydah (English)
• emparadise (English)
• fool's paradise (English)
• grain of paradise (English)
• grains of paradise (English)
• imparadise (English)

Sources

1. paradise (English) - Wiktionary
2. paradisus (Latin) - Wiktionary
3. παράδεισος (parádeisos) (Ancient Greek) - Wiktionary
4. paradis (Old English) - Wiktionary
5. paradis (Old French) - Wiktionary
6. paridayjah (Proto-Iranian) - Wiktionary
7. dʰóyǵʰos (Proto-Indo-European) - Wiktionary
8. dʰáyȷ́ʰas (Proto-Indo-Iranian) - Wiktionary
9. péri (Proto-Indo-European) - Wiktionary
10. pér (Proto-Indo-European) - Wiktionary

Updated August 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris