Middle Persian edit

Alternative forms edit

Etymology edit

From Proto-Iranian *ni- + Proto-Iranian *yaš- (to show, appear), with further connections outside of Indo-Iranian uncertain. Not from Proto-Indo-European *h₃ekʷ- (to see), despite superficial phonetic and semantic similarity. Compare Sanskrit यक्ष (yakṣa, spiritual apparition).

Noun edit

nyšʾn' (nīšān)

  1. mark, sign
  2. banner

Descendants edit

  • Classical Persian: نِشَان (nišān), نِیشَان (nīšān) (see there for further descendants)

References edit

  • MacKenzie, D. N. (1971), “nīšān”, in A concise Pahlavi dictionary, London, New York, Toronto: Oxford University Press
  • Cheung, Johnny (2007) Etymological Dictionary of the Iranian Verb (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 2)‎[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 213-214