Meanings
alternative Ariman · alternative Ahirman · alternative Ahrimen · alternative Ahrimanes
- ZoroastrianismThe hypostasis of chaos, destruction, and evil.
1 more example
[A]midst Ahriman and his hosts who had now established themselves in the Occident, and as heirs to the horns and tails of Pans and fauns, a crowd of native spirits moved; imps, giants, trolls, forest-spirits, elves and hobgoblins in and on the earth; nicks, river-sprites in the water, fiends in the air, and salamanders in the fire.
1879, Viktor Rydberg, “The Magic of the People and the Struggle of the Church against It”, in August Hjalmar Edgren, transl., The Magic of the Middle Ages: Translated from the Swedish, New York, N.Y.: Henry Holt and Company, →OCLC, page 201
Origin
- Avestan𐬀𐬢𐬭𐬀⸱𐬨𐬀𐬌𐬥𐬌𐬌𐬎
- Middle Persian𐭠𐭧𐭫𐭬𐭭𐭩
- Iranian Persianاَهْریمَن
- Classical Persianاَهْرِمَن
- EnglishAhriman
Derived from Classical Persian اَهْرِمَن (ahriman) or Iranian Persian اَهْریمَن (ahriman), from Middle Persian 𐭠𐭧𐭫𐭬𐭭𐭩 (ʾḥlmny /ahreman/), from Avestan 𐬀𐬢𐬭𐬀⸱𐬨𐬀𐬌𐬥𐬌𐬌𐬎 (aŋra.maⁱniiu), compound of 𐬀𐬢𐬭𐬀 (aŋra, “destruction, destructive”) and 𐬨𐬀𐬌𐬥𐬌𐬌𐬎 (maⁱniiu, “spirit, mind, essence, emanation etc.”). Definable through the antithetical 𐬯𐬞𐬆𐬧𐬙𐬀⸱𐬨𐬀𐬌𐬥𐬌𐬌𐬎 (spəṇta.maⁱniiu, “bounteous spirit”). Doublet of Angra Mainyu.
More words from Classical Persian, Iranian Persian, Middle Persian
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek Ἀρειμάνιος, Ἀριμάνης
- Ἀρειμάνιος (Areimánios)the hypostasis of chaos, destruction, evil in Zoroastrianism
- Ἀριμάνης (Arimánēs)the hypostasis of chaos, destruction, evil in Zoroastrianism
- Ἀρειμανής (Areimanḗs)the hypostasis of chaos, destruction, evil in Zoroastrianism
Arabic أَهْرِيمَان
- أَهْرِيمَان (ʔahrīmān)the hypostasis of chaos, destruction, evil in Zoroastrianism
Bulgarian Арима́н, Ахрима́н
- Арима́н (Arimán)the hypostasis of chaos, destruction, evil in Zoroastrianism
- Ахрима́н (Ahrimán)the hypostasis of chaos, destruction, evil in Zoroastrianism
Chinese Mandarin 安哥拉·曼紐 /安哥拉·曼纽, 阿里曼
- 安哥拉·曼紐 /安哥拉·曼纽 (āngélā mànniǔ)the hypostasis of chaos, destruction, evil in Zoroastrianism
- 阿里曼 (Ālǐmàn)the hypostasis of chaos, destruction, evil in Zoroastrianism
Hebrew אנגרה מניו
- אנגרה מניו (an'g'rá mein'yú)the hypostasis of chaos, destruction, evil in Zoroastrianism
Hindi अहरिमन, अहरीमन
- अहरिमन (ahriman)the hypostasis of chaos, destruction, evil in Zoroastrianism
- अहरीमन (ahrīman)the hypostasis of chaos, destruction, evil in Zoroastrianism
- अहरिमान (ahrimān)the hypostasis of chaos, destruction, evil in Zoroastrianism
- अस्रमन्यु (asramanyu)the hypostasis of chaos, destruction, evil in Zoroastrianism
Japanese アンラ・マンユ, アフリマン
- アンラ・マンユ (Anra Manyu)the hypostasis of chaos, destruction, evil in Zoroastrianism
- アフリマン (Afuriman)the hypostasis of chaos, destruction, evil in Zoroastrianism
- アーリマン (Āriman)the hypostasis of chaos, destruction, evil in Zoroastrianism
Korean 앙그라 마이뉴, 아흐리만
- 앙그라 마이뉴 (Anggeura Mainyu)the hypostasis of chaos, destruction, evil in Zoroastrianism
- 아흐리만 (Aheuriman)the hypostasis of chaos, destruction, evil in Zoroastrianism
Polish Aryman
- Arymanthe hypostasis of chaos, destruction, evil in Zoroastrianism
Portuguese Arimã, Arimane
- Arimãthe hypostasis of chaos, destruction, evil in Zoroastrianism
- Arimanethe hypostasis of chaos, destruction, evil in Zoroastrianism
Russian Арима́н, А́нгра-Ма́йнью
- Арима́н (Arimán)the hypostasis of chaos, destruction, evil in Zoroastrianism
- А́нгра-Ма́йнью (Ángra-Májnʹju)the hypostasis of chaos, destruction, evil in Zoroastrianism
Spanish Ahrimán
- Ahrimánthe hypostasis of chaos, destruction, evil in Zoroastrianism
Turkish Ehrimen
- Ehrimenthe hypostasis of chaos, destruction, evil in Zoroastrianism
Urdu اَہْرِمان, اَہْرِمَن
- اَہْرِمان (ahrimān)the hypostasis of chaos, destruction, evil in Zoroastrianism
- اَہْرِمَن (ahriman)the hypostasis of chaos, destruction, evil in Zoroastrianism
- اَہْرِیمَن (ahrīman)the hypostasis of chaos, destruction, evil in Zoroastrianism
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
Ahriman. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Ahriman
“Ahriman.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Ahriman. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Ahriman,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Ahriman.
Source: Ahriman on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.