Persian (adj.)

"of or pertaining to ancient or modern Persia," c. 1300, Percien, from Latin *Persianus (the adjective via Old French persien), from Persia "Persia" (see Persia). As a noun, "native or inhabitant of ancient or modern Persia." First record of Persian cat is from 1785; they were first brought to Europe from Persia in 17c.

also from c. 1300

Entries linking to Persian

Persia

c. 1200, Perse, "land of the Persians," from Latin Persia "Persia," from Greek Persis, from Old Persian Parsa (cognate with Persian Fars, Hebrew Paras, Arabic Faris).

Parsee (n.)

1610s, descendant of Zoroastrians who fled to India 7c.-8c. after the Muslim conquest of Persia, from Old Persian parsi "Persian" (see Persian). In Middle English, Parsees meant "Persians." Related: Parseeism.

peach

Persepolis

Persis

See all related words (5) >

Trends of Persian

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/. Ngrams are probably unreliable.

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peach

c. 1400 peche, peoche, "fleshy fruit of the peach tree" (late 12c. as a surname), from Old French pesche "peach, peach tree" (Old North French peske, Modern French pêche), and directly from Medieval Latin pesca, from Late Latin pessica, variant of persica "peach, peach tree," fro

Euphrates

Mesopotamian river, arising in Armenia and flowing to the Persian Gulf, Old English Eufrate, from Greek Euphrates, from Old...Persian Ufratu, perhaps from Avestan huperethuua "good to cross over," from hu- "good" + peretu- "ford" (from PIE root *...But Kent says "probably a popular etymologizing in O.P. of a local non-Iranian name" ["Old Persian," p.176]....

caviar

salted and served as food," 1550s, from French caviar (16c.), from Italian caviaro (modern caviale) or Turkish khaviar, from Persian...khaviyar, from khaya "egg," from Middle Persian khayak "egg," from Old Iranian *qvyaka-, diminutive of *avya- (from PIE...The second element is Persian dar "bearing." The Russian name is ikra....

Taj Mahal

mausoleum at Agra, India, built by Shah Jahan for his favorite wife, from Persian, perhaps "the best of buildings," with...some authorities hold that the name of the mausoleum is a corruption of the name of the woman interred in it, Mumtaz (in Persian...Persian taj is literally "crown, diadem, ornamental headdress," but here denoting an object of distinguished excellence....

mage

enchanter," c. 1400, Englished form of Latin magus "magician, learned magician," from Greek magos, a word used for the Persian...class as portrayed in the Bible (said by ancient historians to have been originally the name of a Median tribe), from Old Persian...

Iran

country name, from Persian Iran, from Middle Persian Ērān "(land) of the Iranians," genitive plural of ēr- "an Iranian,"...from Old Iranian *arya- (Old Persian ariya-, Avestan airya-) "Iranian", from Indo-Iranian *arya- or *ārya-, a self-designation...

shah

title of the king of Persia, 1560s, shaw, from Persian shah "a king, the ruler of a land," shortened from Old Persian xšayathiya...

aspire

"strive for, seek eagerly to attain, long to reach," c. 1400, aspiren, from Old French aspirer "aspire to; inspire; breathe, breathe on" (12c.), from Latin aspirare "to breathe upon, blow upon, to breathe," also, in transferred senses, "to be favorable to, assist; to climb up to,

praise

c. 1300, preisen, "to express admiration of, commend, adulate, flatter" (someone or something), from Old French preisier, variant of prisier "to praise, value," from Late Latin preciare, earlier pretiare "to price, value, prize," from Latin pretium "reward, prize, value, worth,"

Asian

late 14c., "inhabitant of Asia (Minor)," from Latin Asianus (adjective and noun, "belonging to the province of Asia;" "an inhabitant of Asia"), from Greek Asianos "Asiatic," from Asia (see Asia). It ousted Asiatic as the preferred term mid-20c. The term "Asiatic" has come to be

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updated on April 13, 2020

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Dictionary entries near Persian

perseverant

perseverate

perseveration

persevere

Persia

Persian

persiflage

persimmon

Persis

persist

persistence