Expert: Mojtaba Parsa - 10/1/2009

Question
Dear Mojtaba,

Sometimes I come across things I really don't have a clue about. This is one:

کیان is apparently the plural of کی (pronounced like “key”, "when"). There is also a name کیانوش, which may be related.

I have been able to find out very little about these words and their interrelation amongst one another. Please could you help? Which dynasty do these words relate to? Achaemenids, Sassanids, or something else?

All the best, and many thanks,

Simon

Answer
Hi Simon,

کیان is the plural of کی but this کی doesn't mean "when". کی also means lord, king. So کیان vastly means "the kings". As a singular noun, it means "to create". That would be of the Arabic root of ک و ن which is associated with creation; However, it is sometimes used as "creature".

One more thing you should remark is to notice the pronunciation of کیان. It is pronounced like "kian", not "keyan"; No matter the singular form - whether it is "ki" or "key", the pronunciation of the plural form is "kian".

کیانوش was a famous name in شاهنامه‌ی فردوسی and was outstandingly introduced that time. This word is a legacy of "Pahlavi" language (the language before Islam in Iran) which is a combination of two words: کی and انوش ("kay" and "anush"). کی as explained, means king. انوش means one who stays ripe and young and never dies.

The language "Pahlavi" was spoken in Iran before muslims get to Iran. The last dynasty before Islam was dynasty of Sassanids whose language was Pahlavi. As you see انوش in names like انوشیروان who was the Sassanid king governing Iran in the middle of the 6th century.

That these names belong to former times is not quite clear. But what we can surely say is that the names have come to existence in Pahlavi language which concerns with 3rd BC century until 6th AD century. But I myself guess that these words belong to the last centuries (4th, 5th and 6th).

Hope this helps.
With Best Regards, Mojtaba Parsa