Zend

[zend]

noun

Zoroastrianism. a translation and exposition of the Avesta in Pahlavi.

Archaic. Avestan(def 1).

Origin of Zend

First recorded in 1690–1700; see origin at Zend-Avesta

Related formsZend·ic, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for zend

Plaise God they take them for forest-ponies, or they'll zend a bullet through us.'
Lorna Doone, A Romance of Exmoor|R. D. Blackmore
This seems to us in the very teeth of the evidence so carefully brought together by himself in his Zend grammar.
Chips From A German Workshop - Volume I|Friedrich Max Mller
One can now understand why the Zend books were translated into Pahlavi.
Sacred Books of the East|Various
Dahaka means in Zend "biting," or "the biter," and is etymo-logically connected with the Greek.
The Seven Great Monarchies Of The Ancient Eastern World, Vol 3. (of 7): Media|George Rawlinson

I say, Phœbe, I have a great curiosity to understand the Zend.
Hopes and Fears|Charlotte M. Yonge

British Dictionary definitions for zend

Zend

noun

a former name for Avestan

short for Zend-Avesta

an exposition of the Avesta in the Middle Persian language (Pahlavi)

Derived FormsZendic, adjective

Word Origin for Zend

C18: from Persian zand commentary, exposition; used specifically of the Middle Persian commentary on the Avesta, hence of the language of the Avesta itself

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 zend

Zend

1715, "Parsee sacred book" (in full, Zend-Avesta, 1620s), from Old Persian zend, from Pahlavi zand "commentary." First used in reference to the language of the Zend-Avesta in 1771 by Anquetiel-Duperron (1731-1805).