آخوند

Persian

Etymology

Unclear. It has been suggested that this word is a compound, with the first element possibly being a contraction of (âqâ, “agha”) and the second related to (xândan, “to read, study”) or a contraction of (xodâvand, “master, God”), though the Encyclopædia Iranica states that this set of etymologies is "[not] entirely satisfactory".^[1]

Pronunciation

(Classical Persian) IPA^(key): /ʔaː.ˈxuːnd/

(Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔɑː.xúːn̪d̪]
- (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [ʔɑː.xúːn̪d̪]
- (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [ʔɔː.xún̪d̪̥]

(Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔɒː.xúːn̪d̪̥]

(Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔɔ.χún̪d̪]

Readings
Classical reading^?	āxūnd
Dari reading^?	āxūnd
Iranian reading^?	âxund
Tajik reading^?	oxund

Audio (Iran): (file)

Noun

آخوند • (āxūnd / âxund) (plural آخوندها (āxūnd-hā / âxund-hâ), Tajik spelling охунд)

(sometimes derogatory) An akhund, specifically a cleric of the Usuli Shia school.

Usage notes

In Iran, though not necessarily in other countries, this word is often used as a term of derision. It has been so used by clerics themselves to mark other clerics as backward or unlearned, but it is most often heard from those who are critical of the Shiite clergy and/or the Iranian revolution.

Derived terms

آخوندک (âxundak)
آخوندزاده (âxund-zâde)
آخوندی (âxundi)

Descendants

→ Azerbaijani: axund
→ Bengali: আখন্দ (akhondo)
→ Chinese:
Mandarin: 阿訇 (āhōng)

Dungan: ахун (ahun)
→ English: akhund
→? Kazakh: ақын (aqyn)

References

^ H. Algar (July 29, 2011) “Āḵūnd”, in Encyclopædia Iranica Online‎^[1], Encyclopædia Iranica Foundation.

[1] H. Algar (July 29, 2011) “Āḵūnd”, in Encyclopædia Iranica Online‎^[1], Encyclopædia Iranica Foundation.

[1]