Zendish, adj. & n.

zendish
http://www.oed.com/dictionary/zendish_adj%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_use
Revised 2018

# † Zendishadjective & noun

## Factsheet

### What does the word Zendish mean?

There are two meanings listed in OED's entry for the word Zendish. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

This word is now obsolete. It is last recorded around the 1920s.

### Where does the word Zendish come from?

Earliest known use

1800s

The earliest known use of the word Zendish is in the 1800s.

OED's earliest evidence for Zendish is from 1802, in the writing of Charles Butler, Roman Catholic layman and lawyer.

### Nearby entries

1. Zen Buddhist, adj. & n. 1917–
2. Zend, n. & adj. 1700–
3. zendaletto, n. 1789–
4. Zend-Avesta, n. 1630–
5. Zend-Avestaic, adj. 1816
6. Zend-Avestan, adj. & n. 1871–
7. Zend-Avestic, adj. 1864–
8. Zendic, n. & adj. 1771–
9. Zendician, n. a1833–66
10. Zendicism, n. 1697–
11. Zendish, adj. & n.1802–1921
12. Zendist, n. 1877–1907
13. zendo, n. 1914–
14. Zener, n.¹ 1934–
15. Zener, n.² 1949–
16. Zengakuren, n. 1950–
17. Zen garden, n. 1937–
18. zenick, n. 1801–1900
19. zenitfer, n. 1596–
20. zenith, n. & adj. a1387–
21. zenithal, adj.?1731–

## Etymology

Compare earlier Zendic adj. and Zendic n.

## Meaning & use

Obsolete.

1. 1802–1921
   a. adj.Of or relating to the Avestan language; = Avestan adj. b. n.the ancient Iranian language in which the Avesta is written; = Avestan n.
   Stressed as ˈZendish.
   1. 1802

      > His followers called it the Avesta, or The Word; and, being written in the Zendish language, it was generally called Zend-Avesta.

      C. Butler, Horæ Biblicæ vol. II. 98
   2. 1813

      > In ancient Media, Zendish was the language of the northern, and Pehlvi, or Parthian, of the southern parts.

      Quarterly Review October 266
   3. 1887

      > This observation, mutatis mutandis, applies to other branches of study than those of Zendish and Pahlavi.

      Nonconformist & Independent 25 August 805/3
   4. 1921

      > Nor can we take the time to even glance at Zendish, the Pahlavic, the Himyaritic.

      Open Court November 694
   1. Zend 1771–
      The ancient Iranian language in which the Avesta (Avesta, n.) is written; = Avestan, n.
   2. Zendic 1771–1928
      The Avestan language; = Avestan, n. Cf. Zend, n. A.2 Obsolete.
   3. Avesta 1774–
      The sacred scripture of Zoroastrianism; spec. the ancient texts enshrining the law, liturgy, and belief system of Zoroastrianism, written in the…
   4. Zendish 1802–1921
      a. adj.Of or relating to the Avestan language; = Avestan, adj. b. n.the ancient Iranian language in which the Avesta is written; = Avestan, n.
   5. Avestan 1856–
      The language in which the Avesta (Avesta, n.) is written; an ancient Iranian language closely related to Vedic Sanskrit.
   6. Avestic 1860–
      The ancient Iranian language in which the Avesta is written; = Avestan, n.
   7. Gathic 1902–
      a. adj. Of or pertaining to the gathas or the language in which they are written; b. n. the language itself, being the more archaic form of the…
   8. Zend-Avestan 1920–
      a. adj. Of or relating to the Zend-Avesta, or the ancient Iranian language in which the Avesta is written; b. n. the language in which the Avesta…
   View in Historical Thesaurus

Originally published as part of the entry for Zend, n. & adj.

Zend, n. & adj. was revised in June 2018.