What it means
چسب زخم (chasb-e zakhm) is the everyday Persian term for an adhesive bandage or sticking plaster, the small strip you put over a minor cut or scrape. The compound joins two words, both of Iranian origin: چسب (chasb), meaning glue or adhesive, from the pure Persian verb چسبیدن (chasb-idan, to stick), and زخم (zakhm), meaning wound or injury, which descends directly from Middle Persian zaxm, an inherited Iranian word with no Arabic or Semitic connection. The ezafe particle -e links them. Iranians also use the brand-influenced shorthand band-aid (بندید) in casual speech, borrowing directly from the well-known brand name, though chasb-e zakhm remains the standard generic term.
How to use it
- چسب زخم تو جعبه کمکهای اولیهست. (chasb-e zakhm tu ja’be-ye komak-hâ-ye avvaliyast.) “The adhesive bandage is in the first aid kit.”
- انگشتم برید، یه چسب زخم لازمه. (angoshtam borid, ye chasb-e zakhm lâzeme.) “I cut my finger, I need a plaster.”
- داروخونه چسب زخم ضدآب داره؟ (dârukhune chasb-e zakhm-e zedd-âb dâre?) “Does the pharmacy have waterproof plasters?”
- چسب زخم رو درست بچسبون. (chasb-e zakhm ro dorost bechesbon.) “Stick the plaster on properly.”
Cultural note
Iran has a domestic pharmaceutical industry that produces chasb-e zakhm under various local brands, making them widely available and inexpensive at pharmacies and even small corner shops (بقالی). Parents routinely keep a supply at home, and children learn the word early. The term is also used figuratively in everyday speech, as a patch or superficial fix for a larger problem, much as English speakers say something is “just a band-aid solution.”