جیغ

What it means

جیغ (jigh) means a scream, shriek, or screech. The word is native Persian and onomatopoeic in character, the sound of the word echoing the sharp, high-pitched sound it names. It forms two common compound verbs. جیغ زدن (jigh zadan, using زدن, to strike) means to scream repeatedly or to be screaming, treating the act as a repeated action. جیغ کشیدن (jigh keshidan, using کشیدن, to draw or pull) means to let out a shriek, treating the sound as something extended and sustained. Both are used freely in everyday speech. In informal contexts جیغ can also describe a piercingly loud or shrill sound in general, not just a human voice: جیغ ترمز (jigh-e tormoz, the screech of brakes).

How to use it

• جیغ زد و دوید. (jigh zad o david.) “She screamed and ran.”
• بچه از ترس جیغ کشید. (bache az tars jigh keshid.) “The child let out a shriek from fear.”
• صدای جیغ از اون اتاق میومد. (sedâ-ye jigh az un otâgh miyumad.) “The sound of screaming was coming from that room.”
• جیغ نزن، همه میشنون. (jigh nazan, hame mishnun.) “Do not scream, everyone will hear.”

Cultural note

جیغ زدن has a lively colloquial life in Iranian social commentary. In internet slang and casual conversation, جیغ is used hyperbolically to describe an overwhelming reaction, similar to saying I screamed in English. Iranians might say جیغم درومد (jigham daromad, literally my shriek came out) to mean I lost it or that was too much. This expressive use is especially common among younger speakers on social media, where reactions to surprising content or outrageous news are narrated in terms of جیغ زدن.

References

• Dehkhoda
• Vajehyab