شکنجه

Persian

Alternative forms

• اشکنجه (eškanje) (dialectal)

Etymology

Not attested in Middle Persian, but compare شکن (šekan-, “to break”). Akin to Manichaean Parthian 𐫀𐫢𐫞𐫏𐫗𐫋 (ʾšqynj /⁠iškenǰ⁠/, “twisted rope”, attested only once), perhaps related to 𐫀𐫢𐫐𐫗 (ʾškn /⁠iškenn-⁠/, “to break”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [ʃi.kan.ˈd͡ʒa]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ʃɪ.kʰän.d͡ʒǽ]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ʃɪ.kʰän.d͡ʒǽ]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [ʃɪ.kʰän.d͡ʒǽ]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [ʃi.kʰän.d͡ʒǽ]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [ʃe.kʰʲæn.d͡ʒé]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [ʃi.kʰän.d͡ʒǽ]

Readings
Classical reading?	šikanja
Dari reading?	šikanja
Iranian reading?	šekanje
Tajik reading?	šikanja

Noun

شکنجه • (šekanje)

1. torment; torture
   • c. 1030, Fakhr al-Dīn Asʿad Gurgānī, ويس و رامين [Vīs u Rāmīn]‎^[1]:

     هر آن روزی که گفتم شادمانم
     شکنجه گشت شادی بر روانم

     har ān rōzē ki guftam šādmān-am
     šikanja gašt šadī bar rawān-am

     During all those days when I said I was happy,
     Happiness turned into torture on my soul.

     (Classical Persian romanization)

2. rack, stocks (torture device)

Derived terms

• شکنجه کردن (šekanje kardan)
• شکنجه‌گر (šekanje-gar)

 

References

• Durkin-Meisterernst, Desmond (2004) “ʿšqync”, in A Dictionary of Manichaean Middle Persian and Parthian (Corpus Fontium Manichaeorum; 3.1), Turnhout: Brepols, page 92