Parsi

Parsi · noun, adjective¹

1. Middle Persian · derived frompʾlsyk'“of, or pertaining to, Persia proper"”
2. Classical Persian · borrowed fromپَارْسِی
3. Old Persian · derived from𐎱𐎠𐎼𐎿
4. Middle Persian · derived from𐭯𐭠𐭫𐭮𐭩'
5. Sanskrit · derived fromपारसि
6. Prakrit · derived from𑀧𑀸𑀭𑀲
7. Gujarati · borrowed fromપારસી
8. English todayParsi

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)”).

Parsi · adjective, noun, proper noun²

1. Classical Persian · borrowed fromپَارْسِی
2. English todayParsi

Borrowed from Classical Persian پَارْسِی (pārsī). By surface analysis, Pars + -i.

Words from the same roots