عالی

See also: عالي and غالي

Persian

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic عَالٍ (ʕālin).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [ʔɑː.ˈliː]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔɑː.líː]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔɑː.líː]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [ʔɑː.líː]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [ʔɔː.lí]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔɒː.líː]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔɔ.lí]

Readings
Classical reading?	ālī
Dari reading?	ālī
Iranian reading?	âli
Tajik reading?	oli

• Homophone: آلی (âli)

Adjective

Dari	عالی
Iranian Persian
Tajik	олӣ

عالی • ('âli) (comparative عالی‌تَر ('âli-tar), superlative عالی‌تَرین ('âli-tarin))

1. sublime, exalted
   • c. 1260s, Jalāl ad-Dīn Mohammad Rūmī, translated by Reynold A. Nicholson, مثنوی معنوی [Masnavi-ye-Ma'navi], volume VI, verse 868:

     صورتی کو فاخر و عالی بود / او ز بیت الله کی خالی بود

     surat-i k-u fâxer o âli bovad / u ze beyt-allâh key xâli bovad

     How should the form [of the Perfect Man], which is splendid and sublime, [ever] be absent from the House of God?

2. excellent

   بِسیار عالی اَست. ― besyâr âli ast. ― It's excellent.

Derived terms

• جناب عالی (janâb-e 'âli)
• عالی‌جناب ('âli-janâb)
• عالی‌حضرت ('âli-hazrat)

 

Urdu

Etymology

From Arabic عَالٍ (ʕālin).

Adjective

عالِی • ('ālī) (Hindi spelling आली)

1. high, elevated, exalted, eminent, noble, grand, sublime

Further reading

• Platts, John T. (1884) “عالی”, in A dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi, and English, London: W. H. Allen & Co.