Word of the Day

: August 5, 2011

paradise

noun PAIR-uh-dyce

What It Means

a : the garden where according to the Bible Adam and Eve first lived : Eden

b : an intermediate place or state where the souls of the righteous await resurrection and the final judgment

c : the dwelling place of God and of the blessed dead : Heaven 2: a place or state of bliss, felicity, or delight

paradise in Context

With its shallow outfields, the new ballpark is a batter's paradise.

"Santa Rosa County could be considered nature's playground -- a paradise filled with unique things to see and do." -- From an article by Clairen Reese in Pensacola News Journal, July 6, 2011

Did You Know?

"Paradise" ultimately comes from an Iranian word that the Greeks modified into "paradeisos," meaning "enclosed park." In Hellenistic Greek, "paradeisos" was also used in the Septuagint -- an early Greek translation of Jewish scriptures -- in reference to the Garden of Eden. Early Christian writers also used "paradeisos" for both Heaven and for the place where righteous souls await resurrection. These senses of "paradeisos" entered into Late Latin as "paradisus," and then into Anglo-French (and later, Middle English) as "paradis." Though originally used in theological senses in English, "paradise" has also come to refer to more earthly states and places of delight as well.