What it means
جگر (jegar) means “liver,” the physical organ. Pure Persian, ancient root, the same word the doctor uses and the butcher labels. The same word also fuels a whole family of slang endearments where the liver stands in for the most precious vital organ; that side is covered in the jigareto-bokhoram entry.
How to use it
- جگر سفید (jegar-e sefid) “lung” (literally “white liver”)
- جگر سیاه (jegar-e siyâh) “liver” (the actual organ, literally “black liver”)
- درد جگر (dard-e jegar) “liver pain”
Polysemy
Two senses live in one word. Sense 1: the physical organ, neutral medical register, what a doctor or anatomy textbook means. Sense 2: a term of affection, where jigar (the colloquial pronunciation) means “darling, sweetheart, beloved.” Persian places the liver where English places the heart, so calling someone جیگرت بخورم (jigar-eto bokhoram) is roughly “I’d eat your heart out for love of you.” Same letters, two completely different worlds.
Cultural note
Iranian street food kabâb-e jegar (liver kebab) is a Tehran fixture, sold from charcoal carts and small dives. The cook skewers small cubes of lamb liver, salts them at the last second, grills hot and fast, and serves them with raw onion and basil. So جگر is also a beloved food word, not just an organ.
References
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