Parthian
adj, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A native or inhabitant of Parthia.
"The Parthians, in whose hands the empire of the east now is, having divided the world, as it were, with the Romans, were originally exiles from Scythia. This is apparent from their very name; for in the Scythian language exiles are called Parthi."
- 2 the Iranian language spoken in the Parthian kingdom (250 BC to AD 226) wordnet
- 3 An extinct Western Iranian language that was spoken in Parthia.
- 4 a native or inhabitant of Parthia wordnet
- 1 Relating to Parthia or Parthians. not-comparable
"1828, Frederic Shoberl, Persia, Part 4, Chapter XII: Amusements and Exercises, The king’s cavalry are also trained to an exercise called the keykaj, which consists in turning about on the saddle at full speed and firing a carbine backward. This they learn from their childhood, and it gives them great confidence and dexterity on horseback. It is probably a remnant of the old Parthian custom so frequently alluded to in ancient authors; with this difference, that fire-arms are now used instead of bows and arrows."
- 2 Delivered as if in retreat. not-comparable
"a Parthian shot"
- 1 pertaining to Parthia or its people or language or culture wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
More examples"With which Parthian shot he walked away, leaving the two rivals open-mouthed behind him."
Etymology
From Parthia + -an; in the sense of "delivered as if in retreat", an allusion to the Parthian battle tactic of firing arrows backwards from horseback while apparently in retreat.
Related phrases
More for "parthian"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.