بهانه

Persian

Alternative forms

• بهونه (bahune) (colloquial Iranian)

Etymology

Inherited from Middle Persian [Book Pahlavi needed] (wh'nk' /⁠wihānag⁠/), from Proto-Iranian [Term?].

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [ba.hɑː.ˈna]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [bä.ɦɑː.nǽ]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [bä.ɦɑː.nǽ]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [bɑːɑː.nǽ]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [bɔːɔː.nǽ]

 

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [bæ.ɦɒː.né]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [bæ.ɦɒː.né]
  • (Tehrani) IPA^(key): [bæ.ɦuː.né]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [bä.ɦɔ.nǽ]

Readings
Classical reading?	bahāna
Dari reading?	bahāna
Iranian reading?	bahâne
Tajik reading?	bahona

Noun

بهانه • (bahâne) (plural بهانه‌ها (bahâne-hâ))

1. excuse (explanation designed to avoid guilt)
   • c. 1520, Selim I of the Ottoman Empire, edited by Benedek Péri, The Persian Dīvān of Yavuz Sulṭān Selīm, Budapest, Hungary: Research Centre for the Humanities, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, →ISBN, page 106:

     باشد که بنوشیم ز دستت قدح پر
     کردیم بهانه بمیان باده حوری را

     bāšad ki binōšēm zi dastat qadah-i pur
     kardēm bahāna ba-miyān-i bāda hūrī rā

     Perhaps I shall drink a full goblet from your hand;
     Amid the wine, I have made my excuses to the houri
     [saying that he will not accept the wine of paradise, since drinking with the beloved is better].

     (Classical Persian transliteration)

Descendants

• → Azerbaijani: bəhanə
• → Hindi: बहाना (bahānā)
• → Ottoman Turkish: بهانه (bahâne)
  • Turkish: bahane, mahana, mahane, mahna
  • Middle Armenian: մահանայ (mahanay)
    • Armenian: մահանա (mahana)
• → Turkmen: bahana
• → Uyghur: بانا (bana)
• → Urdu: بہانہ
• → Uzbek: bahona

Further reading

• Hayyim, Sulayman (1934) “بهانه”, in New Persian–English dictionary, Teheran: Librairie-imprimerie Béroukhim