Ctesiphon

C3T1E1S1I1P3H4O1N1
UK/ˈtɛsɪfɒn/US/ˈtɛsɪfɑn/US/kəˈtɛs-/US/-səf-/

proper noun

An ancient capital of Parthia and later of the Sassanid Persian Empire, on the Tigris near Baghdad in present-day Iraq, abandoned in the 7th and 8th centuries.

OriginLatin Ctēsiphōn ← Ancient Greek Κτησιφῶν →
RareScrabble 16
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Meanings

proper noun
  1. historicalAn ancient capital of Parthia and later of the Sassanid Persian Empire, on the Tigris near Baghdad in present-day Iraq, abandoned in the 7th and 8th centuries.
    1 more example

    These I assume were words so deeply meant / They cut themselves in stone for permanent / Like trouble in the brow above the eyes: / ‘Take Care to Sell Your Horse before He Dies / The Art of Life Is Passing Losses on.’ / The city saying it was Ctesiphon, / Which may a little while by war and trade / Have kept from being caught with the decayed, / Infirm, worn-out, and broken on its hands; […]

    1947, Robert Frost, “The Ingenuities of Debt”, in Steeple Bush

Origin

  1. Ancient GreekΚτησιφῶν
  2. LatinCtēsiphōn
  3. EnglishCtesiphon

From Latin Ctēsiphōn, from Ancient Greek Κτησιφῶν (Ktēsiphôn).

More words from Latin, Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek Κτησιφῶν
  • Κτησιφῶν (Ktēsiphôn)ancient ruined city
Arabic المَدَائِن, قُطَيْسَفُون
  • المَدَائِن (al-madāʔin)ancient ruined city
  • قُطَيْسَفُون (quṭaysafūn)ancient ruined city
  • طَيْسَفُون (ṭaysafūn)ancient ruined city
Czech Ktésifón
  • Ktésifónancient ruined city
French Ctésiphon
  • Ctésiphonancient ruined city
German Ktesiphon
  • Ktesiphonancient ruined city
Hebrew קטסיפון
  • קטסיפוןancient ruined city
Hindi टेसिफ़ॉन
  • टेसिफ़ॉन (ṭesifŏn)ancient ruined city
Italian Ctesifonte
  • Ctesifonteancient ruined city
Latin Ctēsiphōn
  • Ctēsiphōnancient ruined city
Persian تیسفون
  • تیسفون (tisfun)ancient ruined city
Polish Ktezyfon
  • Ktezyfonancient ruined city
Portuguese Ctesifonte
  • Ctesifonteancient ruined city
Russian Ктесифо́н
  • Ктесифо́н (Ktesifón)ancient ruined city
Spanish Ctesifonte
  • Ctesifonteancient ruined city
Turkish Tizpon
  • Tizponancient ruined city

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

phoneticssphenotic
Cite this entry
APA

Ctesiphon. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Ctesiphon

MLA

“Ctesiphon.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Ctesiphon. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Ctesiphon,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Ctesiphon.

Source: Ctesiphon on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.