شگفت

Persian

Etymology

From Middle Persian [script needed] (škypt’ /⁠škeft⁠/, “astonishing, extraordinary, hard”), from Proto-Indo-European *skep-, possibly from *speḱ-. Cognate with Avestan 𐬯𐬐𐬀𐬞𐬙𐬀 (skapta, “wonderful”), Central Kurdish شکۆ (şko, “astonishment, glory, magnificence”), Ancient Greek σκέπτομαι (sképtomai, “to look at, to examine”), whence English skeptic.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [ʃi.ˈɡift]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ʃɪ.ɡɪ́ft̪]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ʃɪ.ɡɪ́ft̪]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [ʃɪ.ɡɪ́ft̪]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [ʃi.ɡíft̪]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [ʃe.ɡʲéft̪]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [ʃi.ɡíft̪]

Readings
Classical reading?	šigift
Dari reading?	šigift
Iranian reading?	šegeft
Tajik reading?	šigift

Noun

شگفت • (šegeft) (plural شگفت‌ها (šegeft-hâ))

1. surprise, wonder, amazement

   Synonym: تعجب (ta'ajjob)

   • c. 1011, Abu'l-Qāsim Firdawsī, “The reign of Khusraw Parwēz”, in شاهنامه [Book of Kings]‎^[2]:

     ز پرویز چون داستانی شگفت
     ز من بشنوی یاد باید گرفت
     که چندی سزاواری دستگاه
     بزرگی و اورنگ و فر و سپاه
     کزان بیشتر نشنوی در جهان
     اگر چند پرسی ز دانا مهان

     zi parwēz čūn dāstānē šigift
     zi man bišnawī yād bāyad girift
     ki čandē sazāwārī-i dastgāh
     buzurgī u awrang u farr u sipāh
     k-az-ān bēštar na-šnawī dar jahān
     agar čand pursī zi dānā mihān

     When you hear a story of wonder about Parwēz from me, you must remember that you shall not see any worthiness of power, greatness, throne, royal glory, or army in all the world which is greater than that which belonged to him, even if you ask the learned nobles.

     (Classical Persian romanization)

Derived terms

• شگفتی (šegefti)
• شگفت‌انگیز (šegeft-angiz)