درخت is one of those Persian words that does heavy work. Once you have it, every fruit tree becomes a compound you can build yourself.
What it means
درخت (derakht) means “tree.” Any tree: oak, plane, fruit-bearing, ornamental, the one in your yard, the one in the poem. Pure Persian, foundation-level, used identically in formal and spoken registers. درخت is also a productive compound builder: pair it with a fruit name and you get the tree. درخت سیب (derakht-e sib) is “apple tree,” درخت انار (derakht-e anâr) is “pomegranate tree,” درخت گردو (derakht-e gerdu) is “walnut tree.” The grammar is clean ezafe (-e), no irregularities.
How to use it
- درخت سیب (derakht-e sib) “apple tree”
- درخت کاشتن (derakht kâshtan) “to plant a tree”
- زیر درخت (zir-e derakht) “under the tree”
- درخت بزرگ (derakht-e bozorg) “big tree”
In a sentence
- توی حیاط ما یه درخت انار هست. · tu-ye hayât-e mâ ye derakht-e anâr hast. · There is a pomegranate tree in our yard.
- زیر درخت بشین. · zir-e derakht beshin. · Sit under the tree.
- این درخت صد سالشه. · in derakht sad sâl-eshe. · This tree is a hundred years old.
Cultural note
Specific trees carry weight in Persian culture. The cypress (سرو, sarv) is the symbol of the upright Iranian, immortalized by Hafez. The pomegranate tree (درخت انار, derakht-e anâr) is the courtyard tree of memory, present in poetry and food and Yalda night. The plane tree (چنار, chenâr) is the giant of Iranian public squares, often centuries old. On Sizdah Bedar, the 13th day of Nowruz, families tie sabze knots and picnic under درخت. The verb درخت کاشتن (planting a tree) carries a quiet civic weight, especially after Iran’s recent decades of drought and deforestation.
درخت is also a productive metaphor in Persian. درخت زندگی (derakht-e zendegi, “tree of life”) and شجرهنامه (shajare-nâme, “family tree”) both carry the idea of generations branching from a single root. When Iranians say someone is محکم مثل درخت (mohkam mesl-e derakht, “steady like a tree”), it is a quiet compliment about reliability across decades, not a sudden burst of strength.
References
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