عسس

Persian

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic عَسَس (ʕasas).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [ʔa.ˈsas]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔä.sǽs]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔä.sǽs]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [ʔä.sǽs]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [ʔä.sǽs]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔæ.sǽs]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔä.sǽs]

Readings
Classical reading?	asas
Dari reading?	asas
Iranian reading?	asas
Tajik reading?	asas

Noun

عسس • (asas)

1. (historical) night watch, nocturnal patrol, nocturnal police
   • c. 1390, Shams-ud-Dīn Muḥammad Ḥāfiẓ, “Ghazal 267”, in دیوان حافظ [The Divān of Ḥāfiẓ]‎^[1], archived from the original on 2023-12-09:

     عشرت شبگیر کن، می نوش کاندر راه عشق
     شبروان را آشنایی‌هاست با میر عسس

     išrat-i šabgīr kun, may nōš k-andar rāh-i išq
     šabrawān rā āšnāyī-hāst bā mīr-i asas

     Be happy all night long and drink wine! For on the road of love,
     The night watch commander is acquainted with those who walk during night.

     (Classical Persian transliteration)

   • c. 1520, Selim I of the Ottoman Empire, edited by Benedek Péri, The Persian Dīvān of Yavuz Sulṭān Selīm, Budapest, Hungary: Research Centre for the Humanities, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, →ISBN, page 97:

     گر ماه کند شب عسسی بر سر کویت
     بنما رخ و شرمنده خود ساز عسس را

     gar māh kunad šab asasī bar sar-i kōyat
     binmā rux u šarmanda-yi xwad sāz asas rā

     If the moon should make the night watch at the end of your alleyway,
     Show your face to it and make that watchman ashamed of himself.

     (Classical Persian transliteration)

Further reading

• Hayyim, Sulayman (1934) “عسس”, in New Persian–English dictionary, Teheran: Librairie-imprimerie Béroukhim