Loanwords of Persian Origin
The list gives the Ottoman Turkish word, the modern spelling of the word in Turkish (as suggested by TDK), the modern Turkish equivalent, and its meaning in English.
Most of the original Persian words are still widely used in modern Turkish. In fact, there are over 1,500 Persian words in Turkish. However, for many of the Persian words (unlike Arabic words), there is no TDK-prescribed equivalent. TDK did not put as much effort into replacing Persian words as it did for Arabic words, largely because the Persian words were better assimilated into the language. Arabic language and culture is general perceived by Turks to be more "foreign" than Persian language and culture.
* New words that are not as frequently used as the old words.
| Ottoman Turkish word | Modern spelling of the Ottoman Turkish word | Modern Turkish equivalent | Meaning in English | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| برابر | beraber | birlikte | together | |
| بوسه | buse | öpücük | kiss | |
| جنگ | cenk | savaş | war | |
| چابك | çabuk | ivedi * | quick(ly) | The Turkish word is derived from the verb ivmek, which means to hurry |
| چاره | çare | çözüm | solution | |
| چهره | çehre | yüz | face | |
| چنبر | çember | yuvarlak | circle | |
| çeşit | tür | kind, variety | Çeşit is still in popular use. | |
| چهار یک | çeyrek | dörtte bir | quarter | Both the Persian and the Turkish expressions literally mean one in four |
| درد | dert | ağrı | pain | Dert changed meaning and is now used as "problem" |
| دیگر | diğer | öbür, öteki | other | |
| دشمن | düşman | yağı * | enemy | The Turkish word is almost never used. |
| انديشه | endişe | kaygı | worry (noun) | |
| گزيده | güzide | seçkin | élite | Please see the beginning of this article for the derivation of "seçkin" |
| خسته | hasta | sayrı* | patient, sick | The Turkish word is never used. The original Persian word actually means tired |
| همیشه | hemîşe | her zaman | always | The Persian word is no longer in use. |
| هنوز | henüz | daha | yet | Both words are still in popular use. |
| kurnaz | açıkgözlü | cunning | The Turkish word literally means open-eyed. Both words are used. | |
| مهتاب | mehtap | ay ışığı | moonlight | |
| پاپوش | pabuç | ayakkabı | shoe | Both the Persian and the Turkish words literally mean foot coverer |
| سرخوش | sarhoş | esrik * | drunk | The Persian word (serhoş) literally means head-sweet. The Turkish word is derived from the verb root es-, meaning to blow, to fan (wind). The Turkish word is no longer used. |
| سر | ser | baş | head | |
| serbest | erkin * | free, footloose | The Turkish word is almost never used. | |
| سرسری | serseri | başıboş | bum, runabout | The Turkish word is rarely used. |
| سياه | siyah | kara | black | The Persian and the Turkish word are used in somewhat different contexts. |
| بهار | sonbahar | güz | fall (season) | The Persian word behar means spring. The Turkish compound word sonbahar (which literally means last-spring) means fall. The compound word ilkbahar'(first-spring')means spring. But often just the word "bahar" is used. |
| شهر | şehir | kent | city | The word kent is actually of Sogdian origin. Sogdian is an Iranian language that is now extinct. |
| taze | yeni | new | taze and yeni are used in different ways. While taze means rather fresh, yeni means new. | |
| تنبل | tembel | haylaz | lazy | |
| ویران | viran | yıkık | ruin | |
| یاور | yaver | yardımcı | helper | The Persian word is hardly ever used. |
| yeknesak | tekdüze | monotonous | ||
| یکپاره | yekpare | bütün | whole | |
| زهر | zehir | ağı * | poison, toxin | The Turkish word is rarely used. |
| zengin | varsıl *, varlıklı | rich | The Turkish word is rarely used. | |
| زور | zor | çetin * | difficult | Both words are used but çetin means very difficult or unfeasible. |
Read more about this topic: List Of Replaced Loanwords In Turkish, Lists of Replaced Loanwords
Famous quotes containing the words persian and/or origin:
“The threadbare trees, so poor and thin,
They are no wealthier than I;
But with as brave a core within
They rear their boughs to the October sky.
Poor knights they are which bravely wait
The charge of Winter’s cavalry,
Keeping a simple Roman state,
Discumbered of their Persian luxury.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“In the woods in a winter afternoon one will see as readily the origin of the stained glass window, with which Gothic cathedrals are adorned, in the colors of the western sky seen through the bare and crossing branches of the forest.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)