توان

See also: ثوان

Malay

Noun

توان (plural توان-توان or توان٢)

Jawi spelling of tuan.‎‎

Persian

Etymology

Inherited from Middle Persian [script needed] (twbʾn' /⁠tuwān⁠/, “might; power”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tewh₂- (“to swell, grow, become strong”). Compare Sanskrit तवस् (tavas, “force, power”), Avestan 𐬙𐬎𐬙𐬀𐬎𐬎𐬀 (tutauua, “to be able”), Proto-Slavic *tỳti (“to become fat”), Ancient Greek σῶς (sôs, “safe and sound”). Note that the verb is from the noun, not the other way around.

Pronunciation 1

(Classical Persian) IPA^(key): /tu.ˈwaːn/, /ta.ˈwaːn/

(Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [t̪ʰä.wɑ́ːn]
- (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [t̪ʰä.wɑ́ːn]
- (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [t̪ʰä.wɔ́ːn]

(Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [t̪ʰæ.vɒ́ːn]

(Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [t̪ʰä.vɔ́n]

Readings
Classical reading^?	tuwān, tawān
Dari reading^?	tawān
Iranian reading^?	tavân
Tajik reading^?	tavon

Audio (Iran): (file)

Noun

توان • (tavân)

power, stamina
Synonyms: قدرت (qodrat), نیرو (niru)
ability, competence
Synonym: توانایی (tavânâyi)

farâtar az tavân-am ne-mi-tavânam talâš konam.
I can't try beyond my ability.
(physics, engineering) power
(mathematics) exponent

Derived terms

توانا (tavânâ, “powerful”)
توانگر (tavângar, “rich, wealthy”)
توانگری (tavângari, “riches, wealth”)
ناتوان (nâtavân, “powerless”)

Pronunciation 2

(Classical Persian) IPA^(key): /tu.ˈwaːn/, /ta.ˈwaːn/

(Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [t̪ʰä.wɑ́ːn]
- (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [t̪ʰɑːn], [t̪ʰʊn]
- (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [t̪ʰä.wɔ́ːn]

(Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [t̪ʰæ.vɒ́ːn]
- (Tehrani) IPA^(key): [t̪ʰuːn]

(Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [t̪ʰä.vɔ́n]

Readings
Classical reading^?	tuwān, tawān
Dari reading^?	tawān
Iranian reading^?	tavân
Tajik reading^?	tavon

Audio (Iran): (file)

Verb

توان • (tavân)

present stem form of (tavânestan)

References

Cheung, Johnny (2007) Etymological Dictionary of the Iranian Verb (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 2), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 386-7
Dehkhoda, Ali-Akbar (1931–) “توان”, in Dehkhoda Dictionary Institute, editors, Dehkhoda Dictionary (in Persian), Tehran: University of Tehran Press
Vullers, Johann August (1855) “توان”, in Lexicon Persico-Latinum etymologicum cum linguis maxime cognatis Sanscrita et Zendica et Pehlevica comparatum, e lexicis persice scriptis Borhâni Qâtiu, Haft Qulzum et Bahâri agam et persico-turcico Farhangi-Shuûrî confectum, adhibitis etiam Castelli, Meninski, Richardson et aliorum operibus et auctoritate scriptorum Persicorum adauctum‎^[1] (in Latin), volume I, Gießen: J. Ricker, page 475a
Wolff, Fritz (1935) Glossar zu Firdosis Schahname‎^[2] (in German), Berlin: Reichsdruckerei, page 250b