Word of the Day: PARADISE

Pronunciation: UK /ˈpærədaɪs/
US /ˈpærədaɪs/

Meaning

Paradise means a place or state of perfect happiness, peace and beauty. It can refer to a heavenly place in a religious sense, or more generally to any place that feels exceptionally beautiful or enjoyable.

Examples for daily usage

  • The quiet island felt like paradise after weeks of work.
  • For her, a good book and a cup of tea were a little slice of paradise.
  • The children thought the huge garden was paradise.

Origin and history

Paradise has a surprisingly long journey behind it. The English word came through Old French ‘paradis’ and Late Latin ‘paradisus’, from the Greek ‘paradeisos’. The Greek word was used for a park or enclosed garden, particularly a royal hunting ground.

The Greek term itself came from an Old Iranian word referring to an enclosed or walled garden. Over time, the idea of a beautiful enclosed garden became connected with the biblical Garden of Eden and, later, with the idea of heaven or a blessed afterlife.

Also Read: Word of the Day, August 24: ‘Maverick’ 

Cultural significance and modern usage

The idea of paradise appears in several religious and cultural traditions, often as an ideal place associated with peace, beauty or an afterlife.

In Jewish and Christian traditions, the word became closely connected with the Garden of Eden and the heavenly realm.

The concept also developed in Islamic traditions, where firdaus, a related word from the same linguistic family, refers to a garden or paradise.

Outside religion, paradise has become an everyday way of describing somewhere that feels almost perfect. 

Interesting facts

The original idea behind paradise was closer to a walled garden than to heaven.

The Greek paradeisos was associated with Persian royal parks and gardens.

Paradise entered English in the Old English period through Old French.

The adjective paradisiacal means resembling or belonging to paradise.

The word is often used figuratively in phrases such as tropical paradise, a paradise for book lovers and a shopper's paradise.

John Milton's famous epic poem Paradise Lost, first published in 1667, retells the biblical story of humanity's fall from Eden.

Examples from literature

  • “She had to leave her paradise to wind yarn, wash the poodle, or read Belsham's Essays by the hour together.” — Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
  • “Flowers worthy of paradise.” — Paradise Lost by John Milton
  • “looking like a bird of paradise that had been out all night in the rain” —The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Synonyms

  • Heaven
  • Eden
  • Utopia
  • Haven
  • Dreamland

Antonyms

  • Hell
  • Desolation
  • Nightmare

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