1325-75;Persi(a) + -an; replacing Middle EnglishPersien < Middle French; replacing Old EnglishPersisc (see -ish1)
Related forms
pre-Persian, adjective, noun
pseudo-Persian, adjective, noun
trans-Persian, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for Persian
Persian
/ˈpɜːʃən/
adjective
1.
of or relating to ancient Persia or modern Iran, their inhabitants, or their languages
noun
2.
a native, citizen, or inhabitant of modern Iran; an Iranian
3.
a member of an Indo-European people of West Iranian speech who established a great empire in SW Asia in the 6th century bc
4.
the language of Iran or Persia in any of its ancient or modern forms, belonging to the West Iranian branch of the Indo-European family See also Avestan, Old Persian, Pahlavi2 , Farsi
Word Origin and History for Persian
c.1400, percynne (adj.), Old English Perse (n.), both from Latin *Persianus (the adjective via Old French persien), from Persia "Persia" (see Persia). First record of Persian cat is from 1785.