گاوسار

Persian

FWOTD – 10 September 2024

Alternative forms

• گاوسر (gâvsar)

Etymology

From گاو (gâv, “cow, ox”) +‎ سار (sâr, variant of سر (sar, “head”)).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [ɡɑːw.ˈsɑːɾ]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ɡɑːw.sɑ́ːɾ]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ɡɑːw.sɑ́ːɾ]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [ɡɑːw.sɑ́ːɾ]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [ɡäw.sɔ́ːɾ]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [ɡ̥ɒːv.sɒ́ːɹ]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [ɡɔw.sɔ́ɾ]

Readings
Classical reading?	gāwsār
Dari reading?	gāwsār
Iranian reading?	gâvsâr
Tajik reading?	govsor

Noun

گاوسار • (gâvsâr) (plural گاوسارها (gâvsâr-hâ))

1. (historical) mace adorned with the head of an ox
   • c. 1011, Abu'l-Qāsim Firdawsī, “The reign of Gushtāsp”, in شاهنامه [Book of Kings]‎^[1]:

     فریدونش را نیز با گاوسار
     بفرمود کردن برانجا نگار

     firēdūn-aš rā nēz bā gāwsār
     bifarmūd kardan bar ānjā nigār

     He ordered that they paint on there
     Fereydun as well, with his ox-headed mace.

     (Classical Persian romanization)

Further reading

• Steingass, Francis Joseph (1892) “گاوسار”, in A Comprehensive Persian–English dictionary, London: Routledge & K. Paul
• Dehkhoda, Ali-Akbar (1931–) “گاوسار”, in Dehkhoda Dictionary Institute, editors, Dehkhoda Dictionary (in Persian), Tehran: University of Tehran Press