بیستون
Persian
Etymology
Inherited from Old Persian *Bagastānah, from 𐏎 (BG /bagaʰ/, “god”) + 𐎿𐎫𐎠𐎴 (s-t-a-n /stānaʰ/, “place”). Doublet of فغستان (faġistān / faġestân, “temple”).
By folk etymology, بی (bē / bi, “without, -less”) + ستون (sutūn / sotun, “pillar”), referring to its ancient reliefs which are carved directly into the rock without pillars.
Pronunciation
- (Classical Persian) IPA(key): /beː.su.ˈtuːn/
- (Dari, formal) IPA(key): [beː.sʊ.t̪ʰuːn]
- (Iran, formal) IPA(key): [biː.so.t̪ʰuːn]
- (Tajik, formal) IPA(key): [be.su.t̪ʰun]
| Readings | |
|---|---|
| Classical reading? | bēsutūn |
| Dari reading? | bēsutūn |
| Iranian reading? | bisotun |
| Tajik reading? | besutun |
Proper noun
بیستون • (bēsutūn / bisotun) (Tajik spelling Бесутун)
- Bisotun (a city in Iran) (known for the Behistun inscription and associated with the legendary lover-architect Farhad)
Further reading
- Steingass, Francis Joseph (1892), “بیستون”, in A Comprehensive Persian–English dictionary, London: Routledge & K. Paul