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Persia

American  
[pur-zhuh, -shuh] / ˈpɜr ʒə, -ʃə /

noun

  1. Also called Persian Empire.  an ancient empire located in W and SW Asia: at its height it extended from Egypt and the Aegean to India; conquered by Alexander the Great 334–331 b.c.

  2. former official name (until 1935) of Iran.


Persia British  
/ ˈpɜːʃə /

noun

  1. the former name (until 1935) of Iran

  2. another name for Persian Empire

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

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“From ancient Persia of thousands of years ago to the civilized Iran of today, the spirit of Iran remains alive and steadfast,” the note read.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 22, 2026

Of course, the nut itself has been cultivated for thousands of years in Persia, modern day Iran, where pistachios are still the country’s number one commodity crop.

From Salon May 6, 2026

Themistocles led the Athenian navy to victory against Persia.

From The Wall Street Journal Mar. 9, 2026

Roozbeh Farahanipour, a restaurant owner in Los Angeles's Westwood neighborhood -- sometimes known as "Tehrangeles" or Little Persia -- told AFP he has "very complicated feelings."

From Barron's Feb. 28, 2026

By 1959, scholars convinced the government that Persia and Iran should both be part of the vernacular.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi

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