Parsee

or Par·si

[ pahr-see, pahr-see ]

noun
  1. an Indian Zoroastrian descended from Persian Zoroastrians who went to India in the 7th and 8th centuries to escape Muslim persecution.

  2. the Middle Persian dialect of the Parsee scriptures.

Origin of Parsee

1
First recorded in 1605–15; from Persian Pārsī “a Persian; Persian language,” equivalent to Pārs Persia (from Old Persian Pārsā) + a suffix indicating relationship or origin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Parsee in a sentence

  • The Parsis are the descendants of the ancient Persians, whose fame has survived in the annals of the world.

    Les Parsis | D. Menant
  • The Parsis were not unmindful of this, and fourteen hundred of them, under the command of Ardeshir, joined the troops of the Rana.

    Les Parsis | D. Menant
  • Already were the Hindoos giving way under the stress of the Mahomedans when the Parsis engaged directly in the combat.

    Les Parsis | D. Menant
  • Very soon the most pathetic details came to excite the charitable zeal of the Parsis of Bombay.

    Les Parsis | D. Menant
  • Towards the period of their arrival in India, the Parsis were settled in China as missionaries, merchants, or refugees.

    Les Parsis | D. Menant

British Dictionary definitions for Parsee

Parsee

Parsi

/ (ˈpɑːsiː) /


noun
  1. an adherent of a monotheistic religion of Zoroastrian origin, the practitioners of which were driven out of Persia by the Muslims in the eighth century ad . It is now found chiefly in western India

adjective
  1. of or relating to the Parsees or their religion

Origin of Parsee

1
C17: from Persian Pārsī a Persian, from Old Persian Pārsa Persia

Derived forms of Parsee

  • Parseeism, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012