Persian edit

Etymology edit

From Arabic أَبْلَه (ʔablah).

Pronunciation edit

Dari ابله
Iranian Persian
Tajik аблаҳ
 

Readings
Classical reading? aḇlah
Dari reading? ablah
Iranian reading? ablah
Tajik reading? ablah

Adjective edit

ابله (ablah)

  1. dumb, stupid, feeble-minded
    Synonyms: احمق (ahmaq), خنگ (xeng)
    چقدر ابله هستčeqadr ablah hasthe's such an idiot

Noun edit

ابله (ablah) (plural ابلهان (ablahân) or ابله‌ها (ablah-hâ))

  1. idiot, fool; feeble-minded person
    Synonyms: احمق (ahmaq), خنگ (xeng)
    • c. 1260s, Jalāl ad-Dīn Mohammad Rūmī, translated by Reynold A. Nicholson, مثنوی معنوی [Masnavi-ye-Ma'navi], volume I, verse 418—9:
      ابلهی صیاد آن سایه شود
      می‌‌دود چندان که بی‌‌مایه شود
      بی‌‌خبر کان عکس آن مرغ هواست
      بی‌‌خبر که اصل آن سایه کجاست
      ablahē sayyād-i ān sāya šawad
      mē-dawad čandān ki bē māya šawad
      bē xabar k-ān aks-i ān murğ-i hawā-st
      bē xabar ki asl-i ān sāya kujā-st
      Some fool begins to chase the shadow, running [after it] so far that he becomes powerless,
      Not knowing that it is the reflection of that bird in the air, not knowing where is the origin of the shadow.
      (Classical Persian transliteration)

Usage notes edit

  • The original Arabic plural بُلْه (bolh) is never used as the plural "idiots" in Persian, but instead as a generic noun meaning "stupidity".

Derived terms edit

Descendants edit

  • Bengali: হাবলা (habola)