What it means
آستین (âstin) is the sleeve of a garment: the tube of fabric that covers the arm from the shoulder to the wrist. It is a pure Persian word with roots in Middle Persian, belonging to the oldest layer of the Iranian lexicon. Learners will encounter it in many idiomatic expressions as well as in plain clothing vocabulary. A related term is آستین کوتاه (âstin kutâh), meaning short-sleeved, and آستین بلند (âstin boland), meaning long-sleeved, both common in everyday shopping and dress-code conversations.
How to use it
- آستین پیرهنت پاره شده. (âstin-e pirâhanat pâreh shodeh.) “The sleeve of your shirt is torn.”
- یه لباس آستین کوتاه میخوام. (ye lebâs âstin kutâh mikhâm.) “I want a short-sleeved outfit.”
- آستینهاتو بزن بالا. (âstin-hâto bezan bâlâ.) “Roll up your sleeves.”
- این کت آستینهای خیلی بلندی داره. (in kot âstin-hâye kheyli bolandi dâre.) “This jacket has very long sleeves.”
Cultural note
آستین appears in one of the most enduring Persian idioms: مار در آستین پروردن (mâr dar âstin parvardan), which literally means “to nurture a snake in one’s sleeve” and refers to betrayal by someone you trusted and sheltered. The expression is ancient and is found in classical Persian literature. In modern Iran the sleeve is also a practical concern in public dress codes: آستین بلند (long sleeves) is required for women in official and religious spaces, making the word part of the daily vocabulary of navigation rather than fashion alone.