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

More than 20 vessels, mostly oil tankers, have come under attack this month in Hormuz, the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, according to incident reports from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre. — Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026

For example, one third of India’s westbound Internet traffic or digital connectivity goes through the Persian Gulf. — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 14 Oct. 2026

With just three weeks until the midterms, Trump is clearly riled about diesel prices and the slow recovery of exports of refined products from the Persian Gulf. — Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 13 Oct. 2026

Oil flows have rebounded through that narrow waterway but the cost to get crude out of the Persian Gulf has now also skyrocketed, raising the cost of everything from gasoline and diesel to jet fuel. — Matt Egan, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2026

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