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Persian

adj, noun — 12 senses

Persian

adj

UK /ˈpɜː.ʒən/ · US /ˈpɝʒən/

Etymology From Middle English Persien, from Middle French persien, from Italian persiano, from Medieval Latin Persiānus, from Persia (itself from Persēs/Persa (“Persian man”) [from Ancient Greek Πέρσης (Pérsēs), itself from Old Persian 𐎱𐎠𐎼𐎿 (p-a-r-s /⁠Pārsa⁠/, “Persian”)] + -ia (suffix forming country names)) + -iānus. Equivalent to Pers(ia) + -ian. Compare Early Classical Persian پارس (pārs) or modern Iranian Persian فارس (fârs), where the shift p > f.

1

Of, from, or pertaining to Persia.

  • MOHAMMAD REZA SHAJARIAN (Thursday) Renowned in his native Iran, the vocalist Mohammad Reza Shajarian has been performing since the 1960s, and is now widely considered one of the finest classical Persian singers in the world. Mr. Shajarian’s son, Homayoun Shajarian, will provide additional vocals and tombak (goblet drum), while Ensemble Ava, a four-piece, will contribute additional instrumentation on the ancient Persian instruments barbat (short-necked lute), tar (long-necked lute), kamancheh (spike fiddle) and daf (frame drum).2008 May 30, The New York Times, “Pop and Rock Listings”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 09 Apr 2022:
2

Of or pertaining to the Persian people.

3

Of or pertaining to the Persian language.

Derived terms
41 termsColourpoint Persian, Himalayan Persian, Persian arch, Persianate, Persian berry, Persian blue, Persian cat, Persian column, Persian cumin, Persian darnel, Persian drill, Persian fire, Persian flaw, Persian Gulf, Persian Gulf oxide, Persian gum, Persian insect powder, Persianist, Persianization, Persianize, Persian lamb, Persian lilac, Persian lynx, Persian melon, Persianness, Persian onager, Persian orange, Persian pickle, Persian powder, Persian red, Persian relapsing fever, Persian rug, Persian rummy, Persian violet, Persian walnut, Persian Wars, Persian waxing, Persian wheel, Persian wild ass, Persian zebra, Persification

Persian

noun

Etymology From Middle English Persien, from Middle French persien, from Italian persiano, from Medieval Latin Persiānus, from Persia (itself from Persēs/Persa (“Persian man”) [from Ancient Greek Πέρσης (Pérsēs), itself from Old Persian 𐎱𐎠𐎼𐎿 (p-a-r-s /⁠Pārsa⁠/, “Persian”)] + -ia (suffix forming country names)) + -iānus. Equivalent to Pers(ia) + -ian. Compare Early Classical Persian پارس (pārs) or modern Iranian Persian فارس (fârs), where the shift p > f.

8 senses
  1. 1A native or inhabitant of the historical polity of…
  2. 2An Iranian (person from Iran).
  3. 3A member of the ethnic group indigenous to Persis and…
  4. 4Short for Persian cat
  5. 5A pastry local to the Thunder Bay region in Canada often…
  6. 6A sheep of the Blackhead Persian breed.
  7. 7A thin silk fabric, formerly used for linings.
  8. 8Any of a set of male figures used instead of columns to…
1

Historical A native or inhabitant of the historical polity of Persia (for example, any of the various Persian empires).

  • The Persians (including the Assyrians, Babylonians, Medes, Syrians, Phœnicians, Jews, and Egyptians), in contrast to the foregoing, possess a germ of historical development, […]1892, Benjamin Chapman Burt, A History of Modern Philosophy, page 111:
  • […] Macedonians and Persians had a long history of contact: Macedonia had once been part of the Persian Empire – Alexander I fought on the Persian side in the Persian War – and there were personal and diplomatic contacts of many sorts […]2015, Elizabeth Carne, King and Court in Ancient Macedonia, page xv:
2

Dated An Iranian (person from Iran).

3

A member of the ethnic group indigenous to Persis and the Iranian plateau that forms the majority of the population of modern-day Iran.

  • Recruits [to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps] tended to be ethnic Persians or Azeris between the ages of 17 and 28 and generally hailed from poorer or religious families.2016, J. Kechichian, Iran, Iraq and the Arab Gulf States, page 38:
4

Abbreviation Short for Persian cat

5

Canada, Northwestern, Ontario A pastry local to the Thunder Bay region in Canada often compared to either a cinnamon bun or a donut topped with pink icing.

6

A sheep of the Blackhead Persian breed.

7

A thin silk fabric, formerly used for linings.

  • There is of those Persians several lengths.1696, J. F. Merchant?, The merchant's ware-house laid open:
8

Architecture Any of a set of male figures used instead of columns to support an entablature.

Derived terms
Law of the Medes and Persians

Persian

adj

/ˈpɜː(ɹ)si.ən/

Etymology From Persius + -ian.

1

Of or pertaining to Persius (Roman writer)

  • ...as it seems from an Ovidian or Persian standpoint and also, perhaps, from the comic standpoints of Plautus or Caecilius...1998, Stephen Hinds, Allusion and Intertext: Dynamics of Appropriation in Roman Poetry:

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.