Persian

[pur-zhuh n, -shuh n]

adjective

of or relating to ancient and recent Persia (now Iran), its people, or their language.

noun

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.

Origin of Persian

1325–75; Persi(a) + -an; replacing Middle English Persien < Middle French; replacing Old English Persisc (see -ish¹)

Related formspre-Per·sian, adjective, nounpseu·do-Per·sian, adjective, nountrans-Per·sian, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for persian

Contemporary Examples of persian

In the south, the Gulf States view their Persian nuclear neighbor as a permanent archenemy.
The Nuclear Deal That Iran’s Regime Fears Most
Djavad Khadem
November 22, 2014
And the win was the puniest of the conflagrations, the Persian Gulf War.
Can America Still Win Wars?
Michael Tomasky
October 4, 2014
These are combined with aspects of the Zoroastrian religion, the ancient Persian faith still practiced in the region.
Fighting Back With Faith: Inside the Yezidis’ Iraqi Temple
Michael Luongo
August 21, 2014
The U.S.S. George H.W. Bush, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, has been dispatched to the Persian Gulf.
U.S. Taps Old Allies for New Iraq War
Eli Lake
June 19, 2014
The Persian frontier was the only firmly delineated border, asserted by mountains.
Gertrude of Arabia, the Woman Who Invented Iraq
Clive Irving
June 17, 2014

Historical Examples of persian

The venerable Persian gazed at her for an instant, and then clasped her to his bosom.
Philothea
Lydia Maria Child
"Thank you, no," returned the Persian, with a faint smile of his own.
A Night Out
Edward Peple
His program was as simple as the curriculum of a Persian youth.
Way of the Lawless
Max Brand
Clearly his fears had been realised, and he had had an attack of the Persian ague.
Micah Clarke
Arthur Conan Doyle
Next to him comes a light slate or blue Persian, with yellow eyes.
Concerning Cats
Helen M. Winslow

British Dictionary definitions for persian

Persian

adjective

of or relating to ancient Persia or modern Iran, their inhabitants, or their languages

noun

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

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.