گوهر

Persian

Alternative forms

• گهر (gohar)

Etymology

From Middle Persian gwhl (/⁠gōhr, gōhar⁠/, “substance, essence; jewel”), from Old Persian *gauθra, *gavaθra.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [ɡaw.ˈhaɾ]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ɡäw.hǽɾ]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ɡäw.hǽɾ]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [ɡä.wǽɾ]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [ɡä.wǽɾ]

 

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [ɡ̥ow.hǽɹ]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [ɡ̥ow.hǽɹ]
  • (Tehrani) IPA^(key): [ɡ̥oː.ɦǽɹ]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [ɡäw.hǽɾ]

Readings
Classical reading?	gawhar
Dari reading?	gawhar
Iranian reading?	gowhar
Tajik reading?	gavhar

• Audio (Iran):

  (file)

Noun

Dari	گوهر
Iranian Persian
Tajik	гавҳар

گوهر • (gowhar) (plural گوهرها (gowhar-hâ))

1. jewel
2. gem
3. pearl
4. essence
   • c. 1260s, Jalāl ad-Dīn Mohammad Rūmī, translated by Reynold A. Nicholson, مثنوی معنوی [Masnavi-ye-Ma'navi], volume I, verse 3529:

     هل مرا تا پرده‌‌ها را بر درم
     تا چو خورشیدی بتابد گوهرم

     hil marā tā parda-hā rā bar daram
     tā čō xwarshēd bitābad gawhar-am

     Let me be, that I may rend the curtains asunder,
     that my (spiritual) substance may shine forth like a sun

Descendants

• → Arabic: جوهر (jawhar) (see there for further descendants)
• → Azerbaijani: gövhər
• → Bashkir: гәүһәр (gəwhər), Гәүһәр (Gəwhər)
• → Georgian: გოარი (goari)
• → Gujarati: ગૌહર (gauhar)
• → Kazakh: гауһар (gauhar)
• → Middle Mongol: ᠭᠥ‍ᠭᠠ‍ᠷ (gö‍ɣa‍r)
• → Turkmen: göwher
• → Urdu: گوہر (gauhar, gohar)

Proper noun

گوهر • (gowhar)

2. a female given name, Gohar or Gowhar, from Middle Persian

Synonyms

• جواهر (javâher)

Related terms

• گوهران (gowharân)
• گوهرفروش (gowhar-foruš, “jeweler”)
• گوهرشناسی (gowhar-šenâsi, “lapidary”)

Further reading

• Vullers, Johann August (1856–1864) “گوهر”, in Lexicon Persico-Latinum etymologicum cum linguis maxime cognatis Sanscrita et Zendica et Pehlevica comparatum, e lexicis persice scriptis Borhâni Qâtiu, Haft Qulzum et Bahâri agam et persico-turcico Farhangi-Shuûrî confectum, adhibitis etiam Castelli, Meninski, Richardson et aliorum operibus et auctoritate scriptorum Persicorum adauctum‎^[1] (in Latin), volume II, Gießen: J. Ricker, pages 1057a–1059b