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

According to the Joint Maritime Information Center, nearly 20 commercial ships have been attacked over the past month while sailing through Hormuz, the Persian Gulf or off the coast of Oman. — Justina Lee, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026

The incident took place 59 miles off the coast of Madinat ash Shamal, a coastal city in the Persian Gulf, the British maritime agency said, adding that authorities were investigating. — Frank Andrews, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026

Goldman Sachs was even more bullish, estimating that exports from Persian Gulf producers hit 19 million barrels per day. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2026

The government might start, for example, by fully throttling gas and oil exports from the Persian Gulf. — Mohammad Ayatollahi Tabaar, Foreign Affairs, 1 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