Persian

American  

[pur-zhuhn, -shuhn] / ˈpɜr ʒən, -ʃən /

adjective

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

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noun

Persians plural

1. a member of the native peoples of Iran, descended in part from the ancient Iranians.

2. a citizen of ancient Persia.

3. an Iranian language, the principal language of Iran and western Afghanistan, in its historical and modern forms.

4. Architecture. a figure of a man used as a column.

5. Persians. Persian blinds.

Persian British  

/ ˈpɜːʃən /

adjective

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

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noun

1. a native, citizen, or inhabitant of modern Iran; an Iranian

2. a member of an Indo-European people of West Iranian speech who established a great empire in SW Asia in the 6th century _bc

3. the language of Iran or Persia in any of its ancient or modern forms, belonging to the West Iranian branch of the Indo-European family See also Avestan Old Persian Pahlavi 2 Farsi

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• pre-Persian
  adjective
• pseudo-Persian
  adjective
• trans-Persian
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• Persians
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Persian

First recorded in 1325–75; Persi(a) + -an; replacing Middle English Persien, from Middle French; replacing Old English Persisc ( -ish ¹ )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Persian Persians

The oil-rich Arab monarchies of the Persian Gulf depend on the strait as the exit route for much of their output and want a return to its prewar status of free navigation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

During the conflict Iran sought to assert its sovereignty over the strait, including by establishing the "Persian Gulf Strait Authority" which it said would manage "safe passage permits".

From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies agreed to raise oil output again as shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz gradually recovers and Persian Gulf producers restore production.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026

The BBC's Senior international correspondent Nawal Al Maghafi is reporting from Tehran on condition that none of her material is used on the BBC's Persian Service.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026

Samir snored like a beast on his Persian rug, his eyes covered with his bronze shades, his mustache speckled with lentils.

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri

At last, with the sons of Israel, he turned his might on the Persians, the enemy who had caused great suffering.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026

Kurds, while mostly Sunni, share cultural and linguistic affinities with Persians and have historically had less friction with the Iranian state than with fellow Kurds in Iraq and Turkey.

From Barron's ● Mar. 5, 2026

Persians, Jews, Christians, Muslims, Zoroastrians, Baha’is and those of every background were entitled to live in peace.

From Salon ● Jan. 22, 2026

As Samadi explained, “most people, their bodies are filled with blood — with us Persians, it’s tea.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2025

It’s not a Farsi word—it’s an Arabic one—but it’s the standard greeting for most True Persians.

From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram