What it means
قصاب (ghassab) is the Persian word for a butcher, the tradesperson who slaughters animals and sells meat. The word is a direct borrowing from Arabic, where قصّاب (qassab) derives from the root ق-ص-ب (q-s-b), meaning to cut or to slaughter. In Persian the pronunciation shifts to ghassab, with the Arabic qaf rendered as a guttural gh in everyday speech. The shop where a قصاب works is called قصابی (ghassabi), which also serves as the word for the butcher trade itself. A formal synonym sometimes used in modern Persian is گوشتفروش (goosht-foroosh), literally meat seller, though قصاب remains the most common term.
How to use it
- رفتم قصابی یه کیلو گوشت گوسفند گرفتم. (Raftam ghassabi ye kilo goosht-e gosfand geraftam.) “I went to the butcher and got a kilo of lamb.”
- قصاب گفت گوشت تازهست، همین امروز اومده. (Ghassab goft goosht tazast, hamin emrooz oomadeh.) “The butcher said the meat is fresh, it arrived just today.”
- قصابی سر کوچه از صبح زوده باز میشه. (Ghassabi sar-e kucheh az sobh zude baz misheh.) “The butcher at the corner of the alley opens early in the morning.”
- باید بری قصاب بگی گوشتو قیمه کنه. (Bayad beri ghassab begi gooshto ghimeh koneh.) “You need to go to the butcher and ask him to mince the meat.”
Cultural note
In Iran, meat must be slaughtered according to halal rules, so the قصاب has a role that is both practical and religious. Most traditional قصابی shops in Iranian bazaars and neighbourhoods display the whole carcass and cut portions to order, rather than selling pre-packaged cuts. The قصابی is also a social meeting point in older urban neighbourhoods, where regulars chat with the butcher while waiting. Lamb (گوشت گوسفند) is by far the most common meat sold, followed by beef and veal.