Avestan

American  

[uh-ves-tuhn] / əˈvɛs tən /

noun

1. an ancient East Iranian language of the Indo-European family, the language of all the Avesta but the Gathas.

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adjective

1. of or relating to the Avesta or its language.

Avestan British  

/ əˈvɛstɪk, əˈvɛstən /

noun

1. Formerly called: Zend.  the oldest recorded language of the Iranian branch of the Indo-European family; the language of the Avesta

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adjective

1. of or relating to the Avesta or its language

Etymology

Origin of Avestan

First recorded in 1855–60; Avest(a) + -an

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Avestan

Manx Irish Breton Nadsat Simlish Avestan Vepsian Quechua Romansh Linguists have reported that young speakers of the endangered Aka language have been using it to create hip-hop.

From BBC ● May 30, 2012

It was usually to be a national apotheosis, and was not generally supposed to include the human race, though traces of this wider view might easily be quoted from Avestan, Roman, and Israelitic sources.

From The Religious Sentiment Its Source and Aim: A Contribution to the Science and Philosophy of Religion by Brinton, Daniel Garrison

There were two main branches of the Iranian group, viz. the Old Persian and the Avestan.

From New Latin Grammar by Bennett, Charles E. (Charles Edwin)

Sanson states that the Gavres have kept up the old Persian language and that it is entirely different from modern Persian,57 a distinct recognition of the existence of the Avestan language.

From The Influence of India and Persia on the Poetry of Germany by Remy, Arthur F. J.

An Avestan fragment 20 and the Viraf Nameh give the same account, only with more picturesque fulness.

From The Destiny of the Soul A Critical History of the Doctrine of a Future Life by Alger, William Rounseville