Iran

English dictionary entry

Meanings

name

A country in West Asia in the Middle East. Official name: Islamic Republic of Iran. Capital: Tehran.
The regions inhabited by the Iranian peoples.

Pronunciation

/ɪˈɹɑːn/ /ɪˈɹæːn/ /iːɹɑːn/ /iːɹæːn/ /aɪˈɹæn/ ĭ-răn′ ĭ-rän′ ē-răn′ ē-rän′ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Soundguys-Iran.wav En-us-Iran-noun.ogg En-us-Iran.ogg

Word forms

Iran Irân Irān Îrân Īrān

Etymology

From Iranian Persian ایران (irân), from Classical Persian ایران (ērān), from Middle Persian 𐭠𐭩𐭥𐭠𐭭 (ʾērān, “of the Aryans”), which see for word formation, further etymology and cognates. The name of the political entity is a 3rd-century development that derives from the indigenous ethnolinguistic name of the Iranian peoples, i.e. the great variety of Iranian tribes that spoke an Iranian language.

Related words

Iranian Persia

Derived words

Greater Iran Imperial State of Iran Iranianization Iranianize Iranify Iranization Iranize Iranologist Iranology Iranophile Iranophobe Iranophone Pahlavian Iran Pahlavi Iran

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