Borrowed from Gujarati પારસી (pārsī), "as the Gujaratis, from long tradition, called anyone from Iran", in turn derived from Prakrit 𑀧𑀸𑀭𑀲 (pārasa), from Sanskrit पारसि (pārasi), पारसिक (pārasika), from Middle Persian 𐭯𐭠𐭫𐭮𐭩' (pʾlsy /Pārs/), from Old Persian 𐎱𐎠𐎼𐎿 (Pārsa). Also influenced by Classical Persian پَارْسِی (pārsī).
The Indian term is attested many centuries prior to the arrival of the Parsis on the Indian subcontinent, and appears both for Iranians generally, as well as in the specific Iranian sense of Middle Persian pʾlsyk' (/pārsī(k/g)/, “of, or pertaining to, Persia proper"”) to refer to Sassanian kings, e.g. in the 4th-century Mahabharata. The Indian term is thus conventionally assumed to be ultimately a loanword from Middle Persian (or general Middle Iranian) pʾlsyk' (/pārsī(k/g)/, “of, or pertaining to, Persia proper"”). In colonial times, the term was also applied to the Portuguese, and by extension to Europeans in general.
Older texts have Sanskrit पारसस्य (pārasasya, “Perso-Iranian”), etc. Other Iranian ethnonyms found in the Mahābhārata include पह्लव (pahlava), पह्नव (pahnava, “Parthian(s)”), शक (śaka, “(eastern) Scythian(s)”), बाह्लिक (bāhlika, “Bactrian(s)”).
Meanings
(not-comparable) Of, or pertaining to, the larger and older of the two Zoroastrian communities of the Indian subcontinent.
or ପାରସୀ (of, or pertaining to, the larger and older Zoroastrian community of the Indian subcontinent) · or ପାରଶୀ (of, or pertaining to, the larger and older Zoroastrian community of the Indian subcontinent) · hi पारसी (of, or pertaining to, the larger and older Zoroastrian community of the Indian subcontinent) · nn parsisk (of, or pertaining to, the larger and older Zoroastrian community of the Indian subcontinent) · de parsisch (of, or pertaining to, the larger and older Zoroastrian community of the Indian subcontinent) · nb parsisk (of, or pertaining to, the larger and older Zoroastrian community of the Indian subcontinent) · cmn 帕西 (of, or pertaining to, the larger and older Zoroastrian community of the Indian subcontinent) · gu પારસી (of, or pertaining to, the larger and older Zoroastrian community of the Indian subcontinent) · pl parsyjski (of, or pertaining to, the larger and older Zoroastrian community of the Indian subcontinent)
Borrowed from Gujarati પારસી (pārsī), "as the Gujaratis, from long tradition, called anyone from Iran", in turn derived from Prakrit 𑀧𑀸𑀭𑀲 (pārasa), from Sanskrit पारसि (pārasi), पारसिक (pārasika), from Middle Persian 𐭯𐭠𐭫𐭮𐭩' (pʾlsy /Pārs/), from Old Persian 𐎱𐎠𐎼𐎿 (Pārsa). Also influenced by Classical Persian پَارْسِی (pārsī).
The Indian term is attested many centuries prior to the arrival of the Parsis on the Indian subcontinent, and appears both for Iranians generally, as well as in the specific Iranian sense of Middle Persian pʾlsyk' (/pārsī(k/g)/, “of, or pertaining to, Persia proper"”) to refer to Sassanian kings, e.g. in the 4th-century Mahabharata. The Indian term is thus conventionally assumed to be ultimately a loanword from Middle Persian (or general Middle Iranian) pʾlsyk' (/pārsī(k/g)/, “of, or pertaining to, Persia proper"”). In colonial times, the term was also applied to the Portuguese, and by extension to Europeans in general.
Older texts have Sanskrit पारसस्य (pārasasya, “Perso-Iranian”), etc. Other Iranian ethnonyms found in the Mahābhārata include पह्लव (pahlava), पह्नव (pahnava, “Parthian(s)”), शक (śaka, “(eastern) Scythian(s)”), बाह्लिक (bāhlika, “Bactrian(s)”).
Meanings
A member of the larger and older of the two Zoroastrian communities of the Indian subcontinent (the other community being that of the Iranis).
Forms
Spelling
Features
Labels
Source
Parsee
alternative
lexicographic
Parsis
Number=Plur
lexicographic
Pausee
alternative
lexicographic
Passee
alternative
lexicographic
Translations (18)
gu પારસી (member of the larger and older Zoroastrian community of the Indian subcontinent) · ru парс (member of the larger and older Zoroastrian community of the Indian subcontinent) · nn parsar (member of the larger and older Zoroastrian community of the Indian subcontinent) · fa پَارْسِی (member of the larger and older Zoroastrian community of the Indian subcontinent) · pl Pars (member of the larger and older Zoroastrian community of the Indian subcontinent) · de Parsin (member of the larger and older Zoroastrian community of the Indian subcontinent) · pl Parsanka (member of the larger and older Zoroastrian community of the Indian subcontinent) · id Parsi (member of the larger and older Zoroastrian community of the Indian subcontinent) · cmn 帕西人 (member of the larger and older Zoroastrian community of the Indian subcontinent) · or ପାରସୀ (member of the larger and older Zoroastrian community of the Indian subcontinent) · ur پَارْسِی (member of the larger and older Zoroastrian community of the Indian subcontinent) · or ପାରଶୀ (member of the larger and older Zoroastrian community of the Indian subcontinent) · yue 巴斯人 (member of the larger and older Zoroastrian community of the Indian subcontinent) · bn পারসিক (member of the larger and older Zoroastrian community of the Indian subcontinent) · de Parse (member of the larger and older Zoroastrian community of the Indian subcontinent) · nb parser (member of the larger and older Zoroastrian community of the Indian subcontinent) · hi पारसी (member of the larger and older Zoroastrian community of the Indian subcontinent) · it parsi (member of the larger and older Zoroastrian community of the Indian subcontinent)
Borrowed from Classical Persian پَارْسِی (pārsī). By surface analysis, Pars + -i.
Meanings
(not-comparable) Persian.
This is a well-known fact, that the language spoken by conquerors who have established themselves, when it has been disseminated amongst people, great and small, has become the common language of the country. Just as in Baghdád, where originally but little Persian was spoken, when the Khalífa's dynasty was overthrown, the Pársís established themselves in it. Thenceforward, every thing that was Arab, became subject to Pársí rules, and the herd acquired respect for the language of the shepherds. The city, which was called Baghdád in Arabic, became converted in its first syllable to Bághchadád. Turkí became just as prevalent, when the Turks conquered the country, and the language of the chiefs bore fruit in a new soil. 1871, The History of India, as Told by Its Own Historians, volume 3, page 562:
It was perhaps this picture of awakening nature in a mountain valley, which a thousand years ago inspired that great Tadzhik mountaineer, the immortal founder of classical Parsi poetry, Rudaki: […] 1962, New Orient, page 44:
The specimen No. 1 in Plate XVII., is copied from the end of a very beautiful manuscript of the Bibliothèque Royale at Paris, containing the celebrated heroic poem of Ferdusi, intitled Shah-Nameh, or the Book of Kings; a composition of 60,000 verses, written in the tenth century in the Parsi dialect, which has become the common language of Persia. 1849, Universal Palæography, page 53:
[…] in the Parsi “zone of influence”); written poetry began to appear in the basic dialects of the Kurd language and in Pashto, though medieval literature in these languages did not reach any significant development. 1967, Michaël I. Zand, Six Centuries of Glory: Essays on Medieval Literature of Iran and Transoxania, page 40:
Forms
Spelling
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Source
Pārsī
alternative
lexicographic
Pársí
alternative
lexicographic
Translations (4)
tg порсӣ (Persian — see also Persian) · prs پَارْسِی (Persian — see also Persian) · fa-ira پارْسی (Persian — see also Persian) · fa-cls پَارْسِی (Persian — see also Persian)
Borrowed from Classical Persian پَارْسِی (pārsī). By surface analysis, Pars + -i.
Meanings
A Persian.
This is a well-known fact, that the language spoken by conquerors who have established themselves, when it has been disseminated amongst people, great and small, has become the common language of the country. Just as in Baghdád, where originally but little Persian was spoken, when the Khalífa's dynasty was overthrown, the Pársís established themselves in it. Thenceforward, every thing that was Arab, became subject to Pársí rules, and the herd acquired respect for the language of the shepherds. The city, which was called Baghdád in Arabic, became converted in its first syllable to Bághchadád. Turkí became just as prevalent, when the Turks conquered the country, and the language of the chiefs bore fruit in a new soil. 1871, The History of India, as Told by Its Own Historians, volume 3, page 562:
Forms
Spelling
Features
Labels
Source
Pārsī
alternative
lexicographic
Parsis
Number=Plur
lexicographic
Pársí
alternative
lexicographic
Translations (4)
tg порсӣ (Persian — see also Persian) · prs پَارْسِی (Persian — see also Persian) · fa-ira پارْسی (Persian — see also Persian) · fa-cls پَارْسِی (Persian — see also Persian)
Borrowed from Classical Persian پَارْسِی (pārsī). By surface analysis, Pars + -i.
Meanings
The Persian language.
Parsi was a heterogeneous language, each author enlarging it with something typical of his native dialect. However, it was the Parsi of the first poetic creations, the Parsi of Mawaraannahr and Khurasan, that acquired normative significance, especially for poetry, and some of its specific properties are still extant in the Tadjik language. 1967, Michaël I. Zand, Six Centuries of Glory: Essays on Medieval Literature of Iran and Transoxania, page 30:
“Hind has observed the same rule in respect to language. In olden time it was Hindúí. When the tribes, great and small, became intermixed, every one, bad and good, learnt Pársí, and all the other languages which existed never moved from their bounds. As God had taught them all, it is not proper to call them all bad. With the exception of Arabic, which, in consequence of the Kurán being written in it, is the most excellent and eloquent of languages, all the tongues differ from one another, and each one has some peculiar merit of its own. This one exclaims, ‘My wine is better than all others.’ Every one loses himself in his own cup, and no one admits that his own wine is vinegar. In short, it would be useless to enter into further discussion respecting Pársí, Turkí, and Arabic.” 1871, The History of India, as Told by Its Own Historians, volume 3, page 562:
Parsi was again declared to be the official language and all other languages, including Azari that does not even belong to the Iranian language group, were demoted to local dialects. 1985, Ethnography of Language Change, page 184:
To this dialect, two epochs may be attributed, namely, that of Ferdusi and other ancient Persian poets, who used only the words of their national language, as spoken in the courts of their sovereigns before the Arab conquest; and that of the modern Parsi or Persian, properly so called, which in consequence of the invasion of the Arabs, the irruptions of the Turks, and the conquests of the Mongols, has become inter-mingled with Arabic, Turkish, Tartar, and Indian words, and which from its easy pronunciation, and harmonious terminations, is now in use from the Caspian Sea to the Gulf of Persia, and from the Tigris to beyond the Indus: Anquetil indeed says, from Constantinople to Pekin. 1849, Universal Palæography, page 53:
Forms
Spelling
Features
Labels
Source
Pārsī
alternative
lexicographic
Pársí
alternative
lexicographic
Translations (5)
ota پارسی (Persian — see also Persian) · tg порсӣ (Persian — see also Persian) · prs پَارْسِی (Persian — see also Persian) · fa-ira پارْسی (Persian — see also Persian) · fa-cls پَارْسِی (Persian — see also Persian)