Etymograph

English

paradise

Paradise comes from Latin paradīsus, from Ancient Greek παράδεισος ‘garden of the Persian nobility’, from Proto-Iranian *paridayjah ‘circular boundary wall’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeyǵʰ- ‘to knead, form’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeyǵʰ-1‘to knead, form’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰóyǵʰos1‘something formed’reconstructedderivative of *dʰeyǵʰ-
  3. Proto-Indo-Iranianc. 2500–1800 BCE*dʰáyȷ́ʰas1reconstructed
  4. Proto-Iranianprehistoric (reconstructed)*dáyjah2‘wall’reconstructed
  5. Proto-Iranianprehistoric (reconstructed)*paridayjah2‘circular boundary wall’reconstructed
  6. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπαράδεισος2parádeisos‘garden of the Persian nobility’
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEparadīsus2‘park, orchard’
  8. Old Frenchc. 842–1400paradis2
  9. Old Englishc. 450–1150paradīs2
  10. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500paradis2
  11. Englishearliest quotation 1593paradise2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Iranian *paridayjah
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English paradise
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1593, Gabriell Haruey [i.e., Gabriel Harvey]: “[…] come all the daintieſt dainties of this toungue,…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeyǵʰ-Wiktionary, Proto-Iranian *paridayjah‘to knead, form’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰóyǵʰosWiktionary, Proto-Iranian *paridayjah‘something formed’reconstructedderivative of *dʰeyǵʰ-
  3. Proto-Indo-Iranianc. 2500–1800 BCE*dʰáyȷ́ʰasWiktionary, Proto-Iranian *paridayjahreconstructed
  4. Proto-Iranianprehistoric (reconstructed)*dáyjahWiktionary, English paradise‘wall’reconstructed
  5. Proto-Iranianprehistoric (reconstructed)*paridayjahWiktionary, English paradise‘circular boundary wall’reconstructed
  6. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπαράδεισοςWiktionary, English paradiseparádeisos‘garden of the Persian nobility’
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEparadīsusWiktionary, English paradise‘park, orchard’
  8. Old Frenchc. 842–1400paradisWiktionary, English paradise
  9. Old Englishc. 450–1150paradīsWiktionary, English paradise
  10. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500paradisWiktionary, English paradise
  11. Englishearliest quotation 1593paradiseWiktionary, English paradise. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1593, Gabriell Haruey [i.e., Gabriel Harvey]: “[…] come all the daintieſt dainties of this toungue,…”

Linked words

pairs

  • paradise and lady both from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeyǵʰ- ‘to knead’

through Proto-Indo-European *dʰeyǵʰ- ‘to knead, form’

figure, fiction, dairy, dough, faint, fictitious, dey, effigy, feign, figment, feint, 26 more

Today it means

noun The place where sanctified souls are believed to live after death.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “paradise”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Proto-Iranian *paridayjah. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *dʰeyǵʰ- / paradise

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