# paradise

Pronunciation: US say "PAIR-uh-dyss" /ˈpɛɹ.ə.daɪs/; UK say "PA-ruh-dyss" /ˈpæ.ɹə.daɪs/

## Noun

1. A very pleasant place, or a very pleasant experience or state, where everything seems perfect.
   - Simple: A wonderful place, or a very happy experience, where everything seems perfect.
   - _They spent a week on an island paradise off the coast of Belize._
   - _The once-barren hillside had been turned into a paradise of orchards and flowering vines._
2. A place that is ideal for a particular kind of person or activity.
   - Simple: A perfect place for a certain kind of person or activity.
   - _With miles of empty trails, the national park is a hiker's paradise._
   - _Rows of used bookstores have made the old quarter a paradise for collectors._
3. The place where souls made holy are believed to live after death.
   - Simple: The place where many people believe good souls go after they die.
   - _The martyrs were promised a place in paradise for keeping their faith._
   - _Many believers take comfort in the hope of meeting their loved ones again in paradise._
4. In Jewish, Christian, and Muslim tradition, the garden where Adam and Eve first lived after they were created.
   - Simple: The garden where Adam and Eve first lived, in the stories of several religions.
   - _The serpent appears in paradise and tempts Eve to taste the forbidden fruit._
   - _After the fall, Adam and Eve were driven out of Paradise and forced to work the soil._

## Verb

5. To place someone in paradise, or in a state like paradise.
   - Simple: To put someone in paradise, or somewhere that feels just like it.

## Noun

6. An open space within a monastery or next to a church, such as the area inside a cloister or the open court in front of a basilica. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: An open space inside a monastery or beside a church, like a courtyard.
7. A burial ground, whether a churchyard or a cemetery. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A churchyard, or any place where dead people are buried.

## Verb

8. To transform something, such as a place, into a paradise. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To change a place so that it becomes a perfect, happy place.
9. To affect or uplift someone with visions of happiness. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To fill someone's mind with happy pictures and dreams.

## Other meanings

- (noun) A kind of cake, often made and sold as paradise slice.
- (noun) The upper gallery of seats in a theater.

## Origin

English paradise developed from Middle English paradis, continuing Late Old English paradīs, a borrowing of Old French paradis. The French word came from Latin paradīsus, whose source was Ancient Greek παράδεισος (parádeisos), ultimately tracing back to Proto-Iranian *paridayjah. Paradise replaced Old English neorxnawang and shares its origin with its doublet parvis.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/paradise (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).