1
Stage 1 of 4
haura
Arabic · medieval
"beautifully dark-eyed"
meant "to be beautifully dark-eyed, like a gazelle"
2
Stage 2 of 4
huri
Persian · medieval
"paradise nymph"
developed into the name for a nymph of Paradise in Islamic tradition
3
Stage 3 of 4
houri
French · 1650s
"paradise nymph"
borrowed via French Orientalist writing
4
Stage 4 of 4
houri
English · 1737
"beautiful nymph of paradise"
entered English literature describing beautiful nymphs of the Muslim paradise
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