کنشت

Persian

Etymology

Borrowed from Aramaic כְּנִישְׁתָּא (kənīštā). Compare Hebrew כְּנֶסֶת (kəneset̲). Doublet of کنیسه (kanise, “synagogue”), borrowed through Arabic.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [ku.ˈniʃt]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰʊ.nɪ́ʃt̪]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰʊ.nɪ́ʃt̪]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [kʰɪ.nɪ́ʃt̪], [kʰʊ.nɪ́ʃt̪]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [kʰi.níʃt̪], [kʰu.níʃt̪]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰʲe.néʃt̪], [kʰo.néʃt̪]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰu.níʃt̪]

Readings
Classical reading?	kuništ
Dari reading?	kuništ
Iranian reading?	kenešt, konešt
Tajik reading?	kuništ

Noun

کنشت • (kenešt or kunešt)

1. (dated) non-Muslim place of worship: synagogue, church, fire temple
   • c. 1060, Nāṣir-i Khusraw, Safarnāma [Book of Travels]‎^[1]:

     از دیار روم و دیگر بقاع همه ترسایان و جهودان بسیار آنجا روند به زیارت کلیسا و کنشت که آنجاست، و کلیسای بزرگ آنجا صفت کرده شود به جای خود.

     az diyār-i rūm u dīgar biqā' hama tarsāyān u juhūdān bisyār ānjā rawand ba ziyārat-i kalīsā u kiništ ki ānjā-st, wa kalīsā-yi buzurg-i ānjā sifat karda šawad ba jā-yi xwad.

     From the region of Byzantium and all the other lands, many Christians and Jews go there for pilgrimage to the cathedrals and synagogues that are there, and the great cathedral there will be described in due course.

   • 1257, Saʿdī of Shiraz, بوستان [Bōstān]:

     تو را آسمان خط به مسجد نبشت
     مزن طعنه بر دیگری در کنشت

     tu rā āsmān xat ba masjid nibišt
     ma-zan ta'na bar dīgarē dar kiništ

     Heaven has written your line [of destiny] in the mosque,
     Do not mock another in the temple.

See also

• آتشکده (âteškade, “fire temple”)
• معبد (ma'bad, “temple”)
• کلیسا (kelisâ, “church”)
• کنیسه (kanise, “synagogue”)

 

References

• Dehkhoda, Ali-Akbar (1931–) “کنشت”, in Dehkhoda Dictionary Institute, editors, Dehkhoda Dictionary (in Persian), Tehran: University of Tehran Press