# Persian: نامزد



## Haji Firouz

Hello,

I just came across نامزد (/naamzad/), meaning "betrother", "engaged", according to my dictionary.
As far as I know (and have read here) "betrothed" is a rather archaic term. Is نامزد a term used nowadays? If not, what is the circulated term?
(Yes, I am studying the family relationships in Persian at the moment.  )

Thank you!

Best regards,
Ana-Maria


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## Derakhshan

It's absolutely used, you can translate it as "fiancée/fiancé".

And نامزد کردن means to get engaged.


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## PersoLatin

نامزد means “candidate”, it covers fiancée/fiancé as well as candidate for a post/job/position.


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## ali likes the stars

Isn't that also pronounced نامزاد colloquially?


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## Derakhshan

ali likes the stars said:


> Isn't that also pronounced نامزاد colloquially?


نومزاد around my parts. 

Also I think Afghans say نامزاد.


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## PersoLatin

ali likes the stars said:


> Isn't that also pronounced نامزاد colloquially?


iI have never heard it pronounced that way before, it has to be زد/zad to make sense, زاد/zâd as you know means “born”


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## Derakhshan

The version with زاد seems prevalent dialectically in both Iran and Afghanistan, I wonder why.


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## PersoLatin

Derakhshan said:


> The version with زاد seems prevalent dialectically in both Iran and Afghanistan, I wonder why.


If it is prevalent in Afghan & regional Persian, maybe the word started as نامزاد, with the idea that when a child was born, a future spouse was named (betrothed) & the mainstream نامزد is just the contraction of it.


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## ali likes the stars

Thanks for your explanations. I asked three Iranians what to call a spouse. They all said نامزاد. When I asked whether it shouldn't be نامزد they all said that while نامزد is correct, it wouldn't really make a difference. They're all from Shiraz or Abadan.


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## PersoLatin

ali likes the stars said:


> I asked three Iranians what to call a spouse


Spouse or fiancé?


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## Derakhshan

PersoLatin said:


> If it is prevalent in Afghan & regional Persian, maybe the word started as نامزاد, with the idea that when a child was born, a future spouse was named (betrothed) & the mainstream نامزد is just the contraction of it.


If it were so then we should expect to find نامزاد in dictionaries, old writings, poetry, _something, _but I can't find any evidence of it. But it is strange then how it's prevalent over such a wide area from Iran to Afghanistan.



ali likes the stars said:


> They're all from Shiraz or Abadan.


That would explain it, I think it's mostly a thing in the south.


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## ali likes the stars

PersoLatin said:


> Spouse or fiancé?


Fiancé!


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## PersoLatin

Derakhshan said:


> If it were so then we should expect to find نامزاد in dictionaries, old writings, poetry, _something, _but I can't find any evidence of it. But it is strange then how it's prevalent over such a wide area from Iran to Afghanistan.


Yes, I can only find references to نامزد in Ganjoor.

Unlikely but maybe it was an attempt to make it sound more formal/correct, in other words نامزد appeared colloquial/incorrect.


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## Qureshpor

PersoLatin said:


> نامزد means “candidate”, it covers fiancée/fiancé as well as candidate for a post/job/position.


In Urdu this word means "appointed" but I am not aware of  نامزاد.


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## PersoLatin

Qureshpor said:


> In Urdu this word means "appointed"


That’s interesting, “appointed” is the stage after “candidacy”, in Persian.


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## Alfaaz

Qureshpor said:
			
		

> In Urdu this word means "appointed"


There can be overlapping usage in all three languages, but would the following general pattern be correct?

امیدواری - امیدواران ← نامزدگی - نام زدگان ← انتخاب - منتخب افراد/منتخبین/چنیدگان​
_Candidacy - candidates → nomination - nominees → election - elects/electees_


			
				PersoLatin said:
			
		

> That’s interesting, “appointed” is the stage after “candidacy”, in Persian.


 Could you please shed light upon this?


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## PersoLatin

Alfaaz said:


> Could you please shed light upon this?


There seems to be some confusion but the original post that I replied to has been removed, anyway for completeness:
In mainstream Persian, once a نامزد/candidate for a post gets elected/appointed/rejected, they are no longer called نامزد which I am sure you are saying too in the following:


Alfaaz said:


> Candidacy - candidates → nomination - nominees → election - elects/electees



Also


Alfaaz said:


> نامزدگی - نام زدگان


نامزدگی - نام زدگان are not used in Persian instead: نامزدی/being a fiance/candidacy and نام زدها/نام زدان for the plural.


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## Alfaaz

PersoLatin said:
			
		

> There seems to be some confusion but the original post that I replied to has been removed, anyway for completeness:
> In mainstream Persian, once a نامزد/candidate for a post gets elected/appointed/rejected, they are no longer called نامزد which I am sure you are saying too in the following:


Thanks for the detailed answer!

Is نامزد always used with the meaning of _candidate_, or can it also carry the meaning of _nominee,_ _appointee_, or_ designee _as well (in other contexts)? The reason for asking is that the following entries in Hayyim list various usages: 


> *نامزد* _(nam-zad)_ Interrogative adjective 1. Nominated. Betrothed. 2. A candidate. A betrothed girl, a _fiancée_.
> نامزد کردن Transitive verb 1. To betroth, to affiance. Ex. دختر او را نامزد کردم 1. betrothed his daughter. 2. To nominated; to appoint or designate. Ex. يکنفر نظامی را برای این شغل نامزد کرده اند A military has been nominated (_or_ designated) for this office.
> نامزد شدن Intransitive verb يا مج‍ ف.م Transitive verb To be betrothed. To be nominated.
> 
> *نامزدی* _(namzadee)_ Noun Betrothal Candidacy, candidature, or candidateship. Designation or appointment [_passive sense_].


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## PersoLatin

Alfaaz said:


> Is نامزد always used with the meaning of _candidate_, or can it also carry the meaning of _nominee,_ _appointee_, or_ designee _as well (in other contexts)? The reason for asking is that the following entries in Hayyim list various usages:


Yes, in fact ‘nominee’ has the نام/nâm “name” element in it, it means “named”, also yes to appointee. In my thinking candidate covers all such definitions.


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## marrish

PersoLatin said:


> *نامزد means “candidate”*, it covers fiancée/fiancé as well as *candidate for a post/job/position*.


So I've just come across the English ''many would-be candidates to the (Iranian) Parliament were disqualified.'' in the newspaper. I'm wondering whether نامزد fits the bill in such a context?


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## PersoLatin

marrish said:


> So I've just came across the English ''many would-be candidates to the (Iranian) Parliament were disqualified.'' in the newspaper. I'm wondering whether نامزد fits the bill in such a context?


Yes, however you are more likely to see کاندیدا/kândidâ in the papers.


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## marrish

Great, @PersoLatin, thanks a lot.


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