Persian

[ pur-zhuhn, -shuhn ]

adjective

1. of or relating to ancient and recent Persia (now Iran), its people, or their language.

noun

1. a member of the native peoples of Iran, descended in part from the ancient Iranians.
2. a citizen of ancient Persia.
3. an Iranian language, the principal language of Iran and western Afghanistan, in its historical and modern forms. : Pers, Pers. Compare Old Persian, Pahlavi, Farsi.
4. Architecture. a figure of a man used as a column.
5. Persians. Persian blinds.

Persian

/ ˈpɜːʃən /

adjective

1. of or relating to ancient Persia or modern Iran, their inhabitants, or their languages

noun

1. a native, citizen, or inhabitant of modern Iran; an Iranian
2. a member of an Indo-European people of West Iranian speech who established a great empire in SW Asia in the 6th century bc
3. the language of Iran or Persia in any of its ancient or modern forms, belonging to the West Iranian branch of the Indo-European family See also Avestan Old Persian Pahlavi 2 Farsi

Other Words From

• pre-Persian adjective noun
• pseudo-Persian adjective noun
• trans-Persian adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Persian¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Persi(a) + -an; replacing Middle English Persien, from Middle French; replacing Old English Persisc ( -ish ¹ )

Example Sentences

Under the Shadow, a film from Persian writer-director Babak Anvari that takes place during the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s, deserves a place in the same canon.

From Time

If you don’t have saffron, that’s all right, you can make this recipe for Persian-style chicken and rice without it.

From Washington Post

This is a pity, as Persian statesmen and the clerical rulers have not lived unexamined lives.

From Washington Post

Missing “a taste of home,” she asked her mother to share the recipes for her favorite Persian dishes.

From Washington Post

Our gluten-free cookie trip now takes a turn to this Persian specialty.

From Washington Post

In the south, the Gulf States view their Persian nuclear neighbor as a permanent archenemy.

From The Daily Beast

And the win was the puniest of the conflagrations, the Persian Gulf War.

From The Daily Beast

These are combined with aspects of the Zoroastrian religion, the ancient Persian faith still practiced in the region.

From The Daily Beast

The U.S.S. George H.W. Bush, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, has been dispatched to the Persian Gulf.

From The Daily Beast

The Persian frontier was the only firmly delineated border, asserted by mountains.

From The Daily Beast

The apocryphal gospels contain many, and some are preserved by Persian and Arabian poets.

From Project Gutenberg

The Turkish and Persian pipes have often a small wooden tube inside the amber mouth-piece.

From Project Gutenberg

She moved back to the splendid show-room with its Persian carpets and Louis Seize furniture as if nothing had happened.

From Project Gutenberg

The Persian era began, recording the fall of the Sassanian dynasty, and the religion of Zoroaster.

From Project Gutenberg

It is believed that Raphael was the guardian angel of the Persian Empire.

From Project Gutenberg