اوستا

Persian

Etymology 1

From Middle Persian [script needed] (abestāg /⁠ʾp(y)stʾk'⁠/). Of unknown meaning, but probably from Avestan; possibly 𐬎𐬞𐬀𐬯𐬙𐬁𐬬𐬀𐬐𐬀 (upastāvaka, “praise”), from 𐬎𐬞𐬀𐬯𐬙𐬀𐬊𐬌𐬙𐬌 (upastaoⁱti, “he praises”), from -𐬎𐬞𐬀 (-upa, “up to, at”) << Proto-Indo-Iranian *(s)upamás << Proto-Indo-European *upó + 𐬯𐬙𐬀𐬊𐬌𐬙𐬌 (staoⁱti, “he praises”) (see Sanskrit स्तुति (stuti, “praise”)), though this is not actually attested in any Avestan texts.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [ʔa.was.ˈtɑː]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔä.wäs.t̪ʰɑ́ː]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔä.wäs.t̪ʰɑ́ː]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [ʔä.wäs.t̪ʰɑ́ː]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [ʔä.wäs.t̪ʰɔ́ː]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔæ.ves.t̪ʰɒ́ː]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔä.väs.t̪ʰɔ́]

Readings
Classical reading?	awastā
Dari reading?	awastā
Iranian reading?	avestâ
Tajik reading?	avasto

Proper noun

Dari	اوستا
Iranian Persian
Tajik	Авесто, Авасто

اوستا • (avestâ)

1. the Avesta

Etymology 2

Noun

اوستا • (ustâ)

1. Alternative form of استاد (ostâd)

References

• Kellens, Jean (1983) Routledge and Kegan Paul, editor, Avesta, volume 3, New York: Encyclopædia Iranica, pages 35–44
• “ZEND-AVESTA”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016, →ISBN.