What it means
مأمور (ma’mur) is an Arabic-origin passive participle from the root أ-م-ر (a-m-r), meaning “to command” or “to order.” Literally, مأمور is “one who has been commanded” or “one assigned to a task.” In Persian, it covers a wide range of state-authorized roles: a police officer, an inspector, a tax enforcement agent, a bailiff, or any representative officially sent on a mission. The derived noun مأموریت (ma’muriyat) means a mission, assignment, or official duty. You will encounter مأمور in formal and administrative contexts, in news reporting about law enforcement, and in colloquial speech whenever someone refers to any uniformed or official presence. مأمور پلیس (ma’mur-e polis) specifically means police officer, though in casual speech most Iranians say پلیس alone.
How to use it
- یه مأمور اومد در خونه (ye ma’mur umad dar-e khune) “An officer came to the door.”
- مأمورا اونجا بودن (ma’murâ unja budan) “The officers were there.”
- مأموریتش تموم شد (ma’muriyatash tamum shod) “His assignment is over.”
- این مأمور مالیاته (in ma’mur-e mâliyâte) “This is a tax enforcement agent.”
Cultural note
The phrase من مأمورم و معذور (man ma’murum o ma’zur), meaning “I am assigned and excused” or roughly “I’m just following orders, so forgive me,” is a widely recognized Persian expression used to deflect personal responsibility for an unpleasant official action. It is quoted ironically in everyday speech when anyone hides behind institutional duty to avoid accountability, and has become a cultural shorthand for bureaucratic indifference.
References
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