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Glite Dictionary
parasang

parasang

1 9.9
A very old Persian unit of distance about 6 kilometers
  • noun
  • Archaic
: parasanga
  • After crossing, he marched through Phrygia one stage, a distance of eight parasangs, to Kalasi, an inhabited city, large and prosperous.

If you've ever suffered through Xenophon's analysis, it's full of parasangs.

Examples

  • The ancient caravan traveled several parasangs across the vast desert to reach the next city.

  • Have I come a thousand parasangs to visit the Grand Vizier only to be robbed?

    Kismet (1944)

  • The rabbi tested him with sand that was eight parasangs away from the nearest oasis, then again with sand that was three parasangs away.

    Academic text (1994)

  • The rabbi tested him with sand that was eight parasangs away from the nearest oasis, then again with sand that was three parasangs away.

    Academic text (1994)

  • In the old Persian texts, a parasang is used to describe the distance between two important trade towns.

  • The explorer recorded that he had walked five parasangs before encountering the mountain range.

Synonyms

league
vsparasang
  • Archaic
13 9.9

An old measure of distance that is about three miles

is a longer Persian unit of about three and a half miles

Surface Forms

parasang singular
parasangs plural

Etymology

Parasang probably comes from old Persian parts para- ('beyond') and sang ('stone'), so a helpful image is 'stones' set along a road to mark distances. That's why a parasang is an old Persian unit of distance, about 3.5 to 4 miles, or about 5.5 to 6.5 kilometres.