رخش

See also: رجس

Persian

Etymology 1

Ultimately from Proto-Iranian *ra(n)ǰ- (“to colour, dye”) (compare Sogdian [script needed] (rɣš- /⁠raxš⁠/, “Rakhsh”), Khwarezmian رختک (rxtk /⁠raxtak⁠/, “red”), Mazanderani رش (raš, “red (of cattle)”), Northern Kurdish reş (“black”), Talysh رش (rəş, “light brown”)), from Proto-Indo-Iranian (compare Sanskrit रञ्ज् (rañj, “to be dyed or coloured, to redden, grow red, glow”)), from Proto-Indo-European *reg- (“to dye”).

The Persian word is not inherited but is borrowed probably from the Sogdian cognate.

Akin to Old Armenian երաշխ (erašx), an Iranian borrowing.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [ɾaxʃ]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [räxʃ]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [räxʃ]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [räxʃ]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [räxʃ]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [ɹæxʃ]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [ɾäχʃ]

Readings
Classical reading?	raxš
Dari reading?	raxš
Iranian reading?	raxš
Tajik reading?	raxš

Adjective

رخش • (raxš)

1. coloured red and white; spotted red or white.
2. red
3. chestnut, brown

Proper noun

رخش • (raxš)

1. Rakhsh, the horse of Rustam

Etymology 2

From Proto-Iranian *rúxš (“to shine”), from Proto-Indo-European *lewk-. Cognate with Ossetian рухс (ruxs, “light”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [ɾuxʃ]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [rʊxʃ]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [rʊxʃ]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [rʊxʃ]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [ruxʃ]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [ɹoxʃ]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [ɾuχʃ]

Readings
Classical reading?	ruxš
Dari reading?	ruxš
Iranian reading?	roxš
Tajik reading?	ruxš

Noun

رخش • (roxš)

1. light

References

• Steingass, Francis Joseph (1892) “رخش”, in A Comprehensive Persian–English dictionary, London: Routledge & K. Paul
• Cheung, Johnny (2007) Etymological Dictionary of the Iranian Verb (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 2), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 313, 321