What it means
ارتشاء (erteshâ) comes from Arabic, where it is the Form VIII verbal noun (masdar) of the root ر-ش-و (r-sh-v), the root underlying bribery and corruption. In Persian legal texts it names the act of taking a bribe, specifically when a public official accepts money or goods in exchange for a favor or the abuse of their position. It is distinct from رشوه (reshve), which refers to the bribe itself as an object or transaction, and from راشی (râshi), which names the person who gives the bribe. Erteshâ is almost exclusively a legal and formal term and would sound unusual in casual conversation.
How to use it
- مقام دولتی به اتهام ارتشاء دستگیر شد. (maqâm-e dowlati be ettehâm-e erteshâ dastgir shod.) “The government official was arrested on a bribery charge.”
- ارتشاء در قانون ایران مجازات سنگینی داره. (erteshâ dar qânun-e irân mojâzât-e sangini dâre.) “Bribery carries a heavy penalty under Iranian law.”
- پرونده ارتشاء به دادگاه ویژه رفت. (parvande-ye erteshâ be dâdgâh-e vizhe raft.) “The bribery case went to a special court.”
- کشف ارتشاء در این اداره شوکهکننده بود. (kashf-e erteshâ dar in edâre shoke-konande bud.) “The discovery of bribery in this office was shocking.”
Cultural note
Erteshâ is a criminal offense under Iranian penal law and is treated with particular severity when committed by judges, police, or high-ranking officials. The judicial news in Iran regularly uses the full phrase اتهام ارتشاء (ettehâm-e erteshâ, charge of bribery). Anti-corruption campaigns in Iran have led to highly publicized prosecutions using this precise legal term, making it familiar to Farsi news readers even though it never appears in everyday speech.