نهنگ

See also: نهنك

Persian

Etymology

From Middle Persian 𐫗𐫍𐫗𐫃 (nhng /⁠nihang⁠/, “crocodile”).

Pronunciation

(Classical Persian) IPA^(key): /na.ˈhanɡ/

(Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [nä.ɦǽŋɡ]
- (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [nɑːǽŋɡ]
- (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [nɔːǽŋɡ̥]

(Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [næ.ɦǽɲɡʲ̥]

(Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [nä.ɦǽŋɡ]

Readings
Classical reading^?	nahang
Dari reading^?	nahang
Iranian reading^?	nahang
Tajik reading^?	nahang

Noun

نهنگ • (nahang) (plural نهنگ‌ها (nahang-hâ), or نهنگان (nahangân))

(archaic) crocodile or hippopotamus
whale
Synonym: وال (vâl, “whale”)

Descendants

→ Azerbaijani: nəhəng (“giant”)
→ Ottoman Turkish: نهنگ (neheng)
- Turkish: neheng
→ Kazakh: нән (nän, “big”)

References

Durkin-Meisterernst, Desmond (2004) “nhng”, in A Dictionary of Manichaean Middle Persian and Parthian (Corpus Fontium Manichaeorum; 3.1), Turnhout: Brepols, page 242

Dehkhoda, Ali-Akbar (1931–) “نهنگ”, in Dehkhoda Dictionary Institute, editors, Dehkhoda Dictionary (in Persian), Tehran: University of Tehran Press