Persian
[pur-zhuh n, -shuh n]
- of or relating to ancient and recent Persia (now Iran), its people, or their language.
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- a member of the native peoples of Iran, descended in part from the ancient Iranians.
- a citizen of ancient Persia.
- an Iranian language, the principal language of Iran and western Afghanistan, in its historical and modern forms.Compare Old Persian, Pahlavi, Farsi.
- Architecture. a figure of a man used as a column.
- Persians. Persian blinds.
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Origin of Persian
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for persian
Contemporary Examples
In the south, the Gulf States view their Persian nuclear neighbor as a permanent archenemy.
And the win was the puniest of the conflagrations, the Persian Gulf War.
These are combined with aspects of the Zoroastrian religion, the ancient Persian faith still practiced in the region.
The U.S.S. George H.W. Bush, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, has been dispatched to the Persian Gulf.
The Persian frontier was the only firmly delineated border, asserted by mountains.
Historical Examples
The venerable Persian gazed at her for an instant, and then clasped her to his bosom.
PhilotheaLydia Maria Child
"Thank you, no," returned the Persian, with a faint smile of his own.
A Night OutEdward Peple
His program was as simple as the curriculum of a Persian youth.
Way of the LawlessMax Brand
Clearly his fears had been realised, and he had had an attack of the Persian ague.
Micah ClarkeArthur Conan Doyle
Next to him comes a light slate or blue Persian, with yellow eyes.
Concerning CatsHelen M. Winslow
Persian
- of or relating to ancient Persia or modern Iran, their inhabitants, or their languages
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- a native, citizen, or inhabitant of modern Iran; an Iranian
- a member of an Indo-European people of West Iranian speech who established a great empire in SW Asia in the 6th century bc
- the language of Iran or Persia in any of its ancient or modern forms, belonging to the West Iranian branch of the Indo-European familySee also Avestan, Old Persian, Pahlavi 2, Farsi
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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
Word Origin and History for persian
Persian
c.1400, percynne (adj.), Old English Perse (n.), both from Latin *Persianus (the adjective via Old French persien), from Persia "Persia" (see Persia). First record of Persian cat is from 1785.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper