What it means
اعدام (e’dâm) is the formal Persian word for execution or capital punishment. It comes from Arabic, built on the root ع-د-م which carries the sense of nonexistence or annihilation. Form IV of that root, “to make nonexistent,” gives the word its meaning of putting someone to death by official sentence. In Iranian legal language اعدام is the standard term on court documents and in news reporting. A related phrase is حکم اعدام (hokm-e e’dâm), meaning death sentence.
How to use it
- دادگاه حکم اعدام صادر کرد. (dâdgâh hokm-e e’dâm sâder kard.) “The court issued a death sentence.”
- اعدام در بعضی کشورها ممنوعه. (e’dâm dar ba’zi keshvarhâ mamnu’e.) “Capital punishment is banned in some countries.”
- متهم به خاطر جرم سنگین به اعدام محکوم شد. (mottaham be khâtar-e jorm-e sangin be e’dâm mahkum shod.) “The defendant was sentenced to death for a serious crime.”
- سازمانهای حقوق بشر علیه اعدام اعتراض کردن. (sâzmânhâ-ye hoqûq-e bashar alayh-e e’dâm e’terâz kardan.) “Human rights organizations protested against the execution.”
Cultural note
According to Amnesty International, Iran records among the highest numbers of executions in the world each year. اعدام is applied under Iranian law for a range of offences including murder, drug trafficking, and certain moral or political crimes. International human rights bodies have repeatedly raised concerns about the application of capital punishment in Iran, including its use against individuals who were minors at the time of the alleged offence. The word itself, though Arabic in root, has been fully integrated into Persian legal vocabulary for centuries.