Eden

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈiː.dən/

Definitions

1. A place or state of perfect happiness, beauty, and innocence, often imagined as an ideal or paradise that is lost or unattainable
2. A state of supreme contentment, innocence, and harmony often associated with paradise or an idyllic realm removed from suffering
3. An imagined or remembered place of perfect peace, natural beauty, and freedom from care that exists as an ideal beyond reach

Etymology: The name's most surprising twist is that "Eden" was never a word for a perfect place in its original language. In Biblical Hebrew, "ʿḗḏen" is a proper name for the garden where the first humans lived, and the name may come from Sumerian "edin," meaning "steppe" or "garden," a term that suggests open plain or cultivated ground rather than paradise. The Hebrew word has no clear meaning of its own beyond the place it names, so the sense of an ideal, peaceful spot was built up from the story rather than from the word's roots. The English word "eden" is simply the lowercase form of the proper name "Eden," used in its figurative sense of a perfect, peaceful place. Its meaning therefore grew from the Genesis account, in which the garden was a place of innocence and plenty before the expulsion. Because it started as a place name, it is one of many English words that began as names and later became general nouns.

Synonyms: paradise, utopia, heaven

Antonyms: hell, despair