peris

peris — noun

1. beautiful, graceful spirits in old Persian myths, believed to come from angels w

1.名詞C2
釋義

beautiful, graceful spirits in old Persian myths, believed to come from angels who fell from grace and to be kept out of heaven until they make up for past wrongs.

例句

In old Persian legends, peris float through the air on shining wings.

plural noun 'peris' as sentence subject in a legend

Tanvi painted three peris with golden wings on her bedroom wall.

peris shown with wings — typical mythic imagery

同義詞
  • fairy

    a general magical being; 'peri' is specifically Persian and winged

  • sprite

    a small, playful spirit; lacks the angelic origin a peri has

用法筆記

Chiefly literary; 'peris' is the plural of the singular 'peri', so it always refers to more than one such spirit.

常見錯誤

❌A peris flew over the palace.
✅A peri flew over the palace.
💡'peris' is plural; use the singular 'peri' for just one.

2. lovely, elegant young women, used in poetry as a flattering way to picture someo

2.名詞C2
釋義

lovely, elegant young women, used in poetry as a flattering way to picture someone whose beauty and grace seem almost magical.

例句

The poet praised the village dancers as peris, so light on their feet.

peris used as figurative praise for graceful people

At the wedding, the bride and her sisters looked like peris in flowing silk.

simile 'looked like peris' for beauty and grace

同義詞
  • beauty

    a beautiful person; 'peris' adds a graceful, almost otherworldly quality

  • belle

    the most admired woman present; more about social attention than grace

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: here 'peris' is a figurative compliment for real women, not the mythical spirits themselves.