In the Hebrew word for gentle – עדין

– you may recognize the word עדן

– Eden, a gentle place of flowing rivers, glorious fruit trees and no problems.

But עדין

(or עדינה

when describing a female or something grammatically feminine) could also mean soft or delicate, and not necessarily in a complimentary sense:

הוא עדין מדי בשביל התפקיד הקשוח הזה.

He’s too soft for this tough job.

עדינה

has been a classic Hebrew name for girls for many generations. עדין

has become a name for boys more recently.

Some related words include בעדינות – gently

, and מעדן – delicacy

.