Etymology

Great Satan

Today it means: The United States of America, particularly with regard to its perceived imperialist foreign policy. Full definition →

Iranian Persian شَیطانِ بُزُرْگ
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The story

  1. Iranian Persian · calque ofشَیطانِ بُزُرْگ
  2. English todayGreat Satan

Calque of Iranian Persian شَیطانِ بُزُرْگ (šeytân-e bozorg), which is more often the name of the largest of the three jamarat at which stones are thrown during the hajj. The derogatory sense was coined by Supreme Leader of Iran from 1979 to 1989 Ruhollah Khomeini in 1979, one day after the onset of the Iran hostage crisis.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.