See also: سپر, ستر, and شتر

Persian

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An Iranian woman in a سبز (sabz) hijab.

Etymology

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From Middle Persian spz, sbz (sabz, green, fresh), of uncertain origin.

Morgenstierne derives the word from an unattested form [script needed] (*sapači-) and connects it, along with Pashto سابه (sābə́, vegetables, greens), to Ancient Greek κῆπος (kêpos, garden).

Henning is skeptical of this, however, and relates the word to Parthian [script needed] (‘spyxt, radiant, verdant), deriving both from Proto-Iranian *(H)spar(H)- (to sprout, bloom, blossom), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pregʰ- (to scatter, to jerk); compare Latin spargō (to scatter, strew), Old Irish arg (a drop), Lithuanian sprogti (a bud, a shoot), Northern Sami sprygg (active, brisk), Old Norse freknur (speckles) (whence English freckle), Avestan 𐬟𐬭𐬀-𐬯𐬞𐬀𐬭𐬈𐬔𐬀 (fra-sparega, twig, branch, something jerked off of a tree), Sanskrit पर्जन्य (parjanya, rain god, rain).

Cheung does not consider Parthian [script needed] (‘spyxt) to be descended from Proto-Iranian *(H)spar(H)-, and instead derives it from Proto-Iranian *spaič / *spaiĵ (to shine; to bloom), which appears to be an exclusively Iranian root.

Pronunciation

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Readings
Classical reading? saḇz
Dari reading? sabz
Iranian reading? sabz
Tajik reading? sabz
Dari سبز
Iranian Persian
Tajik сабз

Noun

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سبز (sabz) (plural سبزها (sabz-hâ))

  1. green

Adjective

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سبز (sabz)

  1. green
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Descendants

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See also

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References

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Urdu

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سبز (sabz) greenery and background of the star and crescent symbol on the train.

Etymology

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Borrowed from Classical Persian سبز (sabz), itself from Middle Persian spz, sbz (sabz, green, fresh). Compare Kashmiri سَبٕز (sabụz).

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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سبز (sabz) (Hindi spelling सब्ज़)

  1. green
  2. raw
  3. unripe
  4. fresh

Synonyms

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