Persian

[ pur-zhuh n, -shuh n ]

/ ˈpɜr ʒən, -ʃən /

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 forms

pre-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. 2019

Examples from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
And the win was the puniest of the conflagrations, the Persian Gulf War.
Can America Still Win Wars?|Michael Tomasky|October 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
The performers had chosen a play taken from Persian history.
The Former Philippines thru Foreign Eyes|Toms de Comyn
Persian walnut, I believe, when on its own roots, is more or less allergic to acid soil.
Northern Nut Growers Association Thirty-Fourth Annual Report 1943|Various
The language of the Hazaras is an old dialect of Persian with some admixture of Turki words.
At the Court of the Amr|John Alfred Gray
An old lady, with little gray curls and a Persian shawl, stood near her carriage; she probably had waited for her at the vicarage.
Dame Care|Hermann Sudermann
Phanes then put on the stranger's trousers, coat and girdle; on his own curls he placed the pointed Persian cap.
An Egyptian Princess, Complete|Georg Ebers

British Dictionary definitions for persian

Persian

/ (ˈpɜːʃən) /

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