What it means
گل (gol) means “flower.” Pure Persian root, used both for a single bloom and as a generic word for any flower. Also a term of endearment.
In compounds, گل often points to the rose specifically (the prototype flower in Persian culture), as in گلاب (golâb, “rosewater”).
How to use it
- یک شاخه گل (yek shâkhe gol) “one stem of flower”
- گلهای باغ (gol-hâ-ye bâgh) “flowers of the garden”
- گلم (golam) “my flower (term of endearment)”
- گل سرخ (gol-e sorkh) “red rose”
Common pairings
- گلاب (golâb) “rosewater”
- گلدان (goldân) “flower vase”
- گلفروش (gol-forush) “florist”
- دستهگل (daste-gol) “bouquet, also: a blunder”
Cultural note
گلاب, distilled from گل محمدی (gol-e mohammadi, the Damask rose), is sprayed at funerals, splashed into یلدا (yaldâ) sweets, and stirred into ice cream. The phrase دستهگل به آب دادن (daste-gol be âb dâdan, “to throw a bouquet into the water”) means “to make a mess of things.” گلم as a term of address is gentle, used by parents, lovers, and shopkeepers warming up a customer.
References
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