βγpwr

Sogdian

FWOTD – 22 March 2014

Alternative forms

βγpʾwr

Etymology

From Old Iranian *baga-puθra- (“son of god”). Compare Parthian 𐫁𐫃𐫛𐫇𐫍𐫡‎ (bgpwhr /baγpuhr/, “Jesus”, literally “son of god”), Old Armenian Բակուր (Bakur, “given name from Iranian”).

Considered by medieval authors to be a calque of Chinese 天子 (tiānzǐ, “emperor [of China]”, literally “son of heaven”).

The Persian form ‎ (fağfur) is recorded in Marco Polo's texts as facfur.

Noun

βγpwr (βaγpūr)

emperor of China

Descendants

→ Arabic: بغبور‎ (baḡbūr, buḡbūr), فغفور‎ (faḡfūr)
→ Persian: فغفور‎ (fağfur), فغفوری‎ (fağfuri, “Chinese [porcelain]”)
- → Ottoman Turkish: فغفور‎ (fağfûr), فغفوری‎ (fağfûrî)
  - Turkish: fağfur, fağfuri
  - → Greek: φάρφουρι (fárfouri, “porcelain”)
  - → Russian: фарфо́р (farfór, “porcelain”)

References

βγpwr in TITUS text database
Djalal Khaleghi-Motlagh, "Chinese-Iranian Relations x. China in Medieval Persian Literature", Encyclopædia Iranica, December 15, 1991
Ed., "Fag̲h̲fūr" in Encyclopaedia of Islam, New Edition, vol. II: C-G, Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1991, →ISBN, page 738
Gharib, B. (1995), “βγpʾwr”, in Sogdian dictionary: Sogdian–Persian–English, Tehran: Farhangan Publications, § 2582, page 102a
Henning, W. B. (1939), “Sogdian Loan-Words in New Persian”, in Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies‎, volume 10, issue 1, page 94

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