What it means
کشتی (koshti) means wrestling, the combat sport in which two competitors grapple and try to pin or throw each other. The word is of ancient Iranian origin, tracing back through Parthian kushtīg to a Proto-Iranian root meaning “side of the body,” and is related to کستی (kosti), the sacred Zoroastrian waist-cord, both descending from the same ancestral form. It is not derived from the verb کشتن (kashtan), to kill, despite the superficial resemblance. کشتی covers both traditional Iranian folk wrestling and modern international styles such as freestyle and Greco-Roman. A related word is کشتیگیر (koshti-gir), meaning a wrestler.
How to use it
- کشتی یکی از قدیمیترین ورزشهای ایرانیه. (Koshti yeki az ghadimitarin varzeshâ-ye Irâniyeh.) “Wrestling is one of the oldest Iranian sports.”
- پسرم از بچگی کشتی میگیره. (Pesaram az bachegi koshti migireh.) “My son has been wrestling since childhood.”
- کشتیگیرهای ایرانی تو المپیک مدال طلا گرفتن. (Koshti-girhâ-ye Irâni tu Olampik medâl-e talâ gereftan.) “Iranian wrestlers won gold medals at the Olympics.”
- کشتی باستانی با کشتی آزاد فرق داره. (Koshti-ye bâstâni bâ koshti-ye âzâd fargh dâreh.) “Traditional wrestling is different from freestyle wrestling.”
Cultural note
Wrestling holds a uniquely deep place in Iranian culture, with roots stretching back thousands of years. کشتی باستانی (koshti-ye bâstâni), or ancient wrestling, is a traditional form practised in the zurkhaneh, the ancient Iranian gymnasium where athletes train with ritual music and ceremonial movements. In modern Olympic sport, Iran has been one of the world’s leading wrestling nations, winning numerous gold medals across freestyle and Greco-Roman disciplines over multiple Olympics. The sport is considered a point of national pride and is practiced widely from rural villages to urban sports clubs.