فرشته

See also: فرشتہ

Persian

Alternative forms

• فریشته (ferište) (archaic)

Etymology

From Middle Persian plystk' (frēstag, “apostle; angel”) [Inscriptional Pahlavi needed] (plystky, “messenger”). Compare Manichaean Middle Persian frystg, prystg (frēstag), hrystg (hrēstag, “apostle; angle”), Manichaean Parthian fryštg (frēštag, “apostle; angel”), Avestan 𐬟𐬭𐬀𐬉𐬱𐬙𐬀- (fraēšta-, “messenger”), Middle Iranian borrowings Old Armenian հրեշտակ (hreštak), Jewish Babylonian Aramaic פרסתקא (prestəqāʾ, “royal guard, messenger”), and Classical Syriac ܦܪܣܬܩܐ (prestəqāʾ, “royal guard, messenger”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [fa.ɾiʃ.ˈta]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [fä.ɾɪʃ.t̪ʰǽ]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [fä.ɾɪʃ.t̪ʰǽ]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [fä.ɾɪʃ.t̪ʰǽ]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [fä.ɾiʃ.t̪ʰǽ]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [fe.ɹeʃ.t̪ʰé]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [fä.ɾiʃ.t̪ʰǽ]

Readings
Classical reading?	farišta
Dari reading?	farišta
Iranian reading?	ferešte
Tajik reading?	farišta

Noun

Dari	فرشته
Iranian Persian
Tajik	фаришта

فرشته • (ferešte) (plural فرشته‌ها (ferešte-hâ) or فرشتگان (fereštegân))

1. angel (divine and supernatural messenger from a deity)
   • c. 1260s, Jalāl ad-Dīn Mohammad Rūmī, translated by Reynold A. Nicholson, مثنوی معنوی [Masnavi-ye-Ma'navi], volume II, verse 713:

     چون فرشته بود همچون دیو شد
     کان ملاحت اندر او عاریه بد

     čūn farišta būd hamčūn dēw šud
     k-ān malāhat andar ō 'āriya bud

     She was like an angel, she became like a demon,
     for that loveliness in her was a borrowed (transient) thing.

Derived terms

• فرشته‌ای (ferešte-i)

Descendants

• → Bengali: ফেরেশতা (feresta)
• → Ottoman Turkish: فرشته (firişte, ferişte, ferişta)

  > Turkish: ferişte, feriştah (inherited)

• → Punjabi: ਫ਼ਰਿਸ਼ਤਾ (fariśtā)
• → Urdu: فَرِشْتَہ (fariśta)
• → Uyghur: پەرىشتە (perishte)
• → Uzbek: farishta

Proper noun

Dari	فرشته
Iranian Persian
Tajik	Фаришта

فرشته • (ferešte)

1. a female given name, Fereshteh, Fereshte, Farishtah, or Farishta, from Middle Persian

References

• “prstq”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
• MacKenzie, D. N. (1971) “frēstag”, in A concise Pahlavi dictionary, London, New York, Toronto: Oxford University Press