Parsi

noun

Par·​si ˈpär-(ˌ)sē How to pronounce Parsi (audio)
variants or less commonly Parsee
1
: a Zoroastrian descended from Persian refugees settled principally at Mumbai (Bombay)
2
: the Iranian dialect of the Parsi religious literature
Parsiism
ˈpär-(ˌ)sē-ˌi-zəm How to pronounce Parsi (audio)
noun

Word History

Etymology

Persian pārsī, from Pārs Persia

First Known Use

1583, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Parsi was in 1583

Rhymes for Parsi

See All Rhymes for Parsi

Browse Nearby Words

parshioth
Parsi
parsil
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Parsi.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Parsi. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

Parsi

noun
Par·​si
variants also Parsee
ˈpär-ˌsē How to pronounce Parsi (audio)
: a Zoroastrian descended from Persian refugees settled principally at Mumbai (Bombay)

More from Merriam-Webster on Parsi

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about Parsi

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

'Canceled' or 'cancelled'?

'Gray' vs. 'Grey': What is the difference?

A Guide to Using Semicolons
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Our Best Historical Slang Terms

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Birds Say the Darndest Things

Plant Names That Sound Like Insults

Color Words to Describe Autumn Leaves
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Our Best Historical Slang Terms

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
speech-bubble-untangle
Simplify The Convoluted Expression Quiz A quiz that’s as “uncomplicated as a round de...
See All