"by, for," mid-13c., from Old French par, per, from Latin per (see per). It figures in some French phrases borrowed into English and in the formation of some words (parboil, pardon, parvenu). In some older borrowings from French it has been re-Latinized to per- (perceive, perfect, perform, pertain).

French, from Latin per excellentiam "by the way of excellence." French par "by, through, by way of, by means of" is from Latin per (see per). For second element, see excellence.

late Old English, "the garden of Eden," from Old French paradis "paradise, garden of Eden" (11c.), from Late Latin paradisus "a park, an orchard; the garden of Eden, the abode of the blessed," from Greek paradeisos "a park; paradise, the garden of Eden," from an Iranian source similar to Avestan pairidaeza "enclosure, park" (Modern Persian and Arabic firdaus "garden, paradise"), a compound of pairi- "around" (from PIE root *per- (1) "forward," hence "in front of, near, against, around") + diz "to make, to form" a wall (from PIE root *dheigh- "to form, build"). The first element is cognate with Greek peri "around, about" (see per).

The Greek word was used by Xenophon and others for an orchard or royal hunting park in Persia, and it was taken in Septuagint to mean "the garden of Eden," and in New Testament translations of Luke xxiii.43 to mean "the Christian heaven, place where the souls of the righteous departed await resurrection" (a sense attested in English from c. 1200; extended from c. 1400 to the Muslim heaven).

The extended meaning "place of extreme beauty; blissful state like or comparable to Paradise" is from c. 1300. The Gates of Paradise (late 14c.) originally was the Virgin.

And that this place may thoroughly be thought

True paradise, I have the serpent brought.

[Donne]

"supreme, superior in power or jurisdiction," 1530s, from Anglo-French paramont, Old French paramont "above" (in place, order, degree), mid-14c., from Old French par "by," from Latin per "through, for, by" (see per (prep.)) + amont "up," from a mont "upward" (see amount (v.)). The word is equivalent to the Latin phrase per ad montem, literally "to the hill." Related: Paramountcy.

late 14c., parboilen, "to boil partially;" mid-15c., "to boil thoroughly," from Old French parboillir "to boil thoroughly," from Medieval Latin perbullire "to boil thoroughly," from Latin per "through, thoroughly" (see per (prep.)) + bullire "to boil" (see boil (v.)). The etymological sense is extinct in English; the surviving meaning "boil partially" is by mistaken association of the prefix with part. Related: Parboiled; parboiling.

"master-key," 1670s, French, literally "pass everywhere," from passer "to pass" (see pass (v.)) + partout "everywhere," from par "through" (see per) + tout "all," from Latin totus (see total (adj.)). Figuratively, "that by means of which one can pass anywhere."

"in each year, annually," c. 1600, Latin, "by the year," from per (see per) + annum, accusative singular of annus "year" (see annual (adj.)).

1680s, Latin, "by the head, by heads," from per (see per) + capita "head" (see capital).

1510s, "by the day, in each day," Latin, "by the day," from per (see per) + diem, accusative singular of dies "day" (from PIE root *dyeu- "to shine"). As a noun from 1809, "amount or allowance of so much every day."

"by himself, herself, or itself," 1570s, Latin, literally "by itself;" from per (see per) + se, reflexive pronoun, "himself, herself, itself, themselves," from PIE root *swe-, pronoun of the third person (see idiom). The Latin phrase translates Greek kath auto (Aristotle).