فرمودن

Persian

Etymology

From Middle Persian (plmwtn', plmʾd- /⁠framūdan, framāy-⁠/, “to order, command”), from Old Persian (/⁠framа̄-⁠/), from Proto-Iranian *fra- + *maH- (“to measure”), the latter from Proto-Indo-European *meh₁- (“to measure”).

Pronunciation

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Verb

فرمودن • (farmudan) (present stem فرما (farmâ))

1. to order, to command

   Synonym: دستور دادن (dastur dâdan)

   • c. 1260, Saʿdī, “Rubaʿī 73”, in دیوان سعدی [The Divān of Saʿdī]‎:

     گر تیر جفای دشمنان می‌آید
     دل تنگ مکن که دوست می‌فرماید
     بر یار ذلیل هر ملامت کاید
     چون یار عزیز می‌پسندد شاید

     gar tīr-i jafā-yi dušmanān mē-āyad
     dil tang ma-kun ki dōst mē-farmāyad
     bar yār-i zalīl har malāmat k-āyad
     čōn yār-i azīz mē-pasandad šāyad

     If the arrow of the enemies' cruelty comes ,
     Grieve not your heart, for the Friend commands !
     Every disgrace that comes to the wretched lover
     Is endurable, should the dear beloved desire it.

     (Classical Persian transliteration.)

2. (deferential, formal) to say; used as a substitute for گفتن (goftan, “to say”) to show respect.

   چی فرمودید؟ ― či farmudid? ― What did you say?

3. (deferential, formal) In compound verbs, occasionally used as a substitute for کردن (kardan, “to do”) to show respect.

Related terms

Descendants

• ⇒ Gujarati: ફરમાવવું (pharmāvvũ)
• ⇒ Bengali: ফরমানো (fôrmano)
• ⇒ Hindustani:

  Hindi: फ़रमाना (farmānā)

  Urdu: فرمانا (farmānā)

• ⇒ Marathi: फर्मावणे (pharmāvṇe)
• ⇒ Punjabi:

  Gurmukhi script: ਫ਼ਰਮਾਉਣਾ (farmāuṇā)

  Shahmukhi script: فَرماؤنا (farmā'onā)

Further reading

• Cheung, Johnny (2007) “*maH”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Iranian Verb (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 2), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 255
• Horn, Paul (1893) Grundriss der neupersischen Etymologie (in German), Strasbourg: K.J. Trübner, § 821, page 182