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

But the republic was very quickly destabilized by the Persian Gulf War (1990–91), in which Yemen, then aligned with Saddam Hussein, refused to participate. — Manfred W. Wenner All, Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Nov. 2026

Recovering oil flows from the Persian Gulf have also eased supply concerns. — Deena Zaidi, CNBC, 10 Nov. 2026

But other countries also depend heavily on the region’s undersea cable network—one third of India’s westbound Internet traffic goes through the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz. — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 6 Nov. 2026

The war has cast a shadow on Persian Gulf nations that have long presented themselves as paragons of stability in a volatile region, mostly unaffected by the conflicts raging in the wider Middle East. — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 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