Persian

noun

Per·​sian ˈpər-zhən 

 especially British  -shən

1

: one of the people of Persia: such as

a

: one of the ancient Iranians who under Cyrus and his successors founded an empire in southwest Asia

b

: a member of one of the peoples forming the modern Iranian nationality

2

a

: any of several Iranian languages dominant in Persia at different periods

b

: the modern language of Iran and western Afghanistan see Indo-European Languages Table

3

: a thin soft silk formerly used especially for linings

4

: persian cat

Persian adjective

Examples of Persian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The 3-year-old exotic shorthair Persian belongs to Falcons long snapper George Carlson. —Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 30 Aug. 2025

Emily Simpson invited everyone to her home for a celebration of Nowruz, the Persian New Year. —Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 29 Aug. 2025

However, Ankara has now even larger ambitions, like the Development Road project, a major $17-20 billion infrastructure corridor linking Iraq’s Basra Port (on the Persian Gulf) to Turkey’s border and then onward into Europe. —Ariel Cohen, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025

These range from Qurans from several Islamic regions to a pro-British, World War II propaganda poster printed in Persian with Middle Eastern drawings. —Russ Wiles, AZCentral.com, 23 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing Persian

• Middle Persian
• Old Persian
• Persian cat
• Persian lamb

Rhymes for Persian

• version
• animadversion
• bioconversion
• cardioversion
• interconversion
• seroconversion
• aspersion
• aversion
• conversion
• dispersion
• diversion
• eversion

Kids Definition

Persian

noun

Per·​sian ˈpər-zhən 

1

: a native or inhabitant of ancient Persia or modern Iran

2

: the language of the Persians

Persian adjective