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Persian

Pronunciation: /ˈpəːʒ(ə)n, -ʃ(ə)n/

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Definition of Persian

noun

1a native or inhabitant of ancient or modern Persia (or Iran), or a person of Persian descent.
(also Persian cat) a long-haired domestic cat of a breed originating in Persia, having a broad round head, stocky body, and short thick legs.
a sheep of a breed common in South Africa.

2 [mass noun] the language of modern Iran, an Indo-European language written in Arabic script. Also called Farsi.
an earlier form of Persian spoken in ancient or medieval Persia.

adjective

relating to ancient Persia or modern Iran or its people or language.

Persian (or Farsi) is spoken by over 30 million people in Iran, by about 5 million in Afghanistan (as Dari), and by another 2.2 million in Tajikistan (as Tajik). Old Persian, written in cuneiform and attested from the 6th century bc, was the language of the Persian empire, which once spread from the Mediterranean to India. In the 2nd century bc the Persians created their own alphabet (Pahlavi), which was used until the Islamic conquest in the 7th century

Origin:

Middle English: from Old French persien, from Latin Persia, via Greek from Old Persian pārsa 'Persia' (modern Persian pārs, Arabic fārs)

Persian in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of Persian in the US English dictionary

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