Pahlavi

¹ American  

[pah-luh-vee] / ˈpɑ ləˌvi /

noun

1. the Indo-European, Iranian language of the Zoroastrian literature of the 3rd to the 10th centuries.

2. the script used in writing this language, derived from the Aramaic alphabet.

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Pahlavi ² American  

[pah-luh-vee] / ˈpɑ ləˌvi /

Or Pahlevi

noun

Pahlavis plural

1. Muhammad Riza (or Reza) 1919–80, shah of Iran 1941–79; in exile after 1979 (son of Riza Shah Pahlavi).

2. Riza (or Reza) Shah, 1877–1944, shah of Iran 1925–41.

3. (lowercase) a former gold coin of Iran, equal to 20 rials.

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Pahlavi ¹ British  

/ ˈpɑːləvɪ /

noun

1. Mohammed Reza (ˈriːzə). 1919–80, shah of Iran (1941–79); forced into exile (1979) during civil unrest following which an Islamic republic was established led by the Ayatollah Khomeini

2. his father, Reza. 1877–1944, shah of Iran (1925–41). Originally an army officer, he gained power by a coup d'état (1921) and was chosen shah by the National Assembly. He reorganized the army and did much to modernize Iran

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Pahlavi ² British  

/ ˈpɑːləvɪ /

noun

1. the Middle Persian language, esp as used in classical Zoroastrian and Manichean literature

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Pahlavis
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Pahlavi

First recorded in 1765–75, Pahlavi is from the Persian word Pahlavī Parthian

Example Sentences

Device fabrication was led by Pallavi Gaur, first author and PhD student at CeNSE.

From Science Daily • Jan. 3, 2026

At a general election hustings in June, Pallavi Devulapalli said she had "yet to meet anyone" who denied a person’s right to "dress" and "be addressed as they please".

From BBC • Sep. 6, 2024

Pallavi Pant, a global health researcher at the Health Effects Institute in Boston, points to car emissions as one example.

From Scientific American • Sep. 22, 2023

Pallavi Sadekar, head of operations at VisitorGuard.com, says doing your homework is the key to avoiding a bad experience.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 18, 2023

“And I mean nothing: no PowerPoint, no class activity, no exam, not even a topic area,” Pallavi wrote.

From Washington Post • Sep. 28, 2021