What it means
مولکول (molekul) means “molecule,” the smallest particle of a substance that retains its chemical properties. The word entered Persian from French molécule, which itself traces back to a Latin diminutive of moles, meaning mass. In everyday Persian you will hear it in chemistry class, in news about pharmaceuticals, and in casual conversation about perfumes or cooking. A closely related term is اتم (atom), the even smaller particle that molecules are built from.
How to use it
- مولکول آب از دو اتم هیدروژن و یک اتم اکسیژن ساخته شده. (Molekul-e ab az do atom-e hidrojen va yek atom-e oksizhen sakhte shode.) “A water molecule is made of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom.”
- این عطر مولکولهای قوی داره که تو هوا میمونن. (In atr molekulhay-e qavi dare ke tu hava mimunan.) “This perfume has strong molecules that linger in the air.”
- تو آزمایشگاه مولکولهای جدید رو بررسی کردیم. (Tu azmaishgah molekulhay-e jadid ro barrasi kardim.) “We examined new molecules in the lab.”
- مولکولها اونقدر کوچیکن که با چشم غیرمسلح دیده نمیشن. (Molekulhâ oonqadr kuchikan ke ba cheshm-e gheir-mosallah dide nemishan.) “Molecules are far too small to be seen with the naked eye.”
Cultural note
Modern Persian science vocabulary, including مولکول, arrived largely through French in the nineteenth century, when Iran established the Dar al-Funun polytechnic in Tehran in 1851 and sent students to France and Germany. French was the primary language of science instruction in that era, so the phonology of French terms was preserved directly in Persian. Today مولکول is standard in Iranian textbooks and is understood across all Persian-speaking regions including Afghanistan and Tajikistan.