paradis (French)

Where does "paradis" come from?

The French noun 'paradis' descends from Middle French and Old French 'paradis'[1], which were borrowed from Latin 'paradīsus'[1][4]. This Latin form traces back to the Ancient Greek 'παράδεισος' (parádeisos), a term ultimately derived from the Proto-Iranian '*paridayjah'[1][3]. Meaning 'around' plus 'wall', the Proto-Iranian root refers to an enclosed area[5]. The word is a doublet of 'parvis'[1].

Open questions

The reconstruction of the Proto-Iranian form and its derivation from Proto-Indo-European roots involve complex laryngeal theories and semantic ambiguity. [5] [8] [9]

Full etymology tree

paradis (French), 'paradise (somewhere perfect)'
- inherited paradis (Middle French), 'paradise'
  - inherited paradis (Old French), 'paradise'
    - borrowed paradisus (Latin), 'park, orchard, yard'
      - borrowed παράδεισος (parádeisos) (Ancient Greek), 'the garden owned by the Persian nobility'
        borrowed *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 *dʰáyķ́has (Proto-Indo-Iranian)
        inherited *dʰóyġ̇hos (Proto-Indo-European)

Ancestors

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

Cognates and doublets

parvis (French)

Descendants and derived words

graines de paradis (French)
ne pas l'emporter au paradis (French)
oiseau de paradis (French)
paradis fiscal (French)
paradisier (French)
palatiho (Tokelauan)

Sources

Updated August 2026

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