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Glite Dictionary
Pehlevi language

Pehlevi language

9.9
A language used in religious books of ancient Persia
  • noun
  • Literature
: lengua pehlevi
  • The sacred texts were preserved in the Pehlevi language for several centuries.

Examples

  • The Pehlevi language was crucial for understanding Zoroastrianism's early texts.

  • The Pehlevi language has a rich literary history.

  • She studied ancient scripts written in Pehlevi language at university.

  • Zoroastrian scholars studied the Pehlevi language extensively.

  • The Pehlevi language was crucial for understanding Zoroastrianism's early texts.

  • The sacred texts were preserved in the Pehlevi language for several centuries.

  • Zoroastrian scholars studied the Pehlevi language extensively.

Synonyms

Pahlavi
vsPehlevi language
  • Specialized
1 9.9

An old form of Persian used in Zoroastrian religious books

is the same language name often used as an older or variant form
Pahlavi language
vsPehlevi language
  • Specialized
1 9.9

An old Iranian language used in Zoroastrian religious books from the 3rd to 10th centuries

is the equivalent modern term for the same historical language
Pehlevi
vsPehlevi language
  • Literature
9.9

An old Iranian language used for Zoroastrian religious writing from the 3rd to the 10th centuries

is the alternative historical name for the same language

Surface Forms

Pehlevi language singular
Pehlevi languages plural

Morphology

Pehlevi + language

The phrase is fully compositional: 'Pehlevi' identifies a particular named language or tradition and 'language' denotes a linguistic system, so the combined meaning is directly derivable from the parts. Naming languages with a proper name + 'language' is cross-linguistically common (e.g. 'Spanish language'), making this straightforward for learners who know both constituents.

Etymology

Pehlevi language gets its name from an old group of people called the Parthians, and the word Pehlevi was used for their speech and writing. Because priests kept using that speech in Zoroastrian books for centuries, 'Pehlevi' came to mean the 'Middle Persian' language of those sacred texts.