معنی

See also: معنى

Persian

Alternative forms

• معنا (ma'nâ)

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic مَعْنَى (maʕnā).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [maʔ.ˈnɑː], [maʔ.ˈniː]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [mäʔ.nɑ́ː], [mäʔ.níː]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [mäʔ.nɑ́ː], [mäʔ.níː]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [mɑː.níː], [mɑː.nɑ́ː]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [mɔː.nɔ́ː], [mɔː.ní]

 

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [mæʔ.nɒ́ː], [mæʔ.níː]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [mæʔ.nɒ́ː], [mæʔ.níː]
  • (Tehrani) IPA^(key): [mæː.nɒ́ː], [mæː.níː]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [mäʔ.nɔ́], [mäʔ.ní]

Readings
Classical reading?	ma'nā, ma'nī
Dari reading?	ma'nā, ma'nī
Iranian reading?	ma'nâ, ma'ni
Tajik reading?	maʾno, maʾnī

Noun

Dari	معنی
Iranian Persian
Tajik	маънӣ, маъно

مَعنی • (ma'ni) (plural مَعانی (ma'âni) or مَعنی‌ها (ma'ni-hâ))

1. meaning, sense

   Synonym: چم (čam)

   به زبان اردو، این کلمه به معنی « بزرگ/کلان » است.

   be zabân-e ordu, in kalame be ma'ni-ye "bozorg" ast.

   In Urdu, this word means "big".

   • c. 1260s, Jalāl ad-Dīn Mohammad Rūmī, translated by Reynold A. Nicholson, مثنوی معنوی [Masnavi-ye-Ma'navi], volume V, verse 1441—1442:

     هم صفیر مرغ آموزند خلق، کین سخن کار دهان افتاد و حلق، لیک از معنی مرغان بی‌خبر.

     ham safir-e morğ âmuzand xalq, k-in soxan kâr-e dahân oftâd o halq, lik az ma'ni-ye morğân bi-xabar.

     Likewise, people learn the note of birds, for this speech [of birds] is an affair of the mouth and throat; but [all are] ignorant of the birds' meaning.

2. essence, spirit
3. reality
   • c. 1260s, Jalāl ad-Dīn Mohammad Rūmī, translated by Reynold A. Nicholson, مثنوی معنوی [Masnavi-ye-Ma'navi], volume IV, verse 1873:

     صورتش کرمست و معنی اژدها.

     surat-aš kerm-ast o ma'ni aždahâ.

     Its form is a worm, but its reality is a dragon.

Derived terms

• بی‌معنی (bi-ma'ni)
• معنی‌دار (ma'ni-dâr)

 

Urdu

Etymology

From Arabic مَعْنَى (maʕnā) via Classical Persian معنی (ma'nī, ma'nā).

Noun

معنی • (ma'nī) f (Hindi spelling मानी)

1. meaning
2. intent

Synonyms

• ارتھ (arth)