What it means
پنبه (pambe) is the Persian word for cotton, the soft fibrous material that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant (Gossypium). It is a genuinely native Persian word, descended from Middle Persian pambag, which makes it one of the cases where Persian did not borrow from Arabic. In fact, Arabic uses قطن (qutn) for cotton, a different root entirely. پنبه refers both to the raw cotton fiber and, in everyday speech, to cotton wool or cotton padding used in medicine and personal care. A related word is پنبهدانه (pambe-dâne), the cotton seed.
How to use it
- این پارچه از پنبه خالصه. (in pârche az pambe khâlese.) “This fabric is made of pure cotton.”
- پنبه رو تو گوشم گذاشتم. (pambe ro too gusham gozâshtam.) “I put cotton in my ear.”
- خوزستان یه استان مهم برای کشت پنبهست. (khuzestân ye ostân-e mohemm barâye kesht-e pambe-st.) “Khuzestan is an important province for cotton cultivation.”
- لباس پنبهای تو گرما راحتتره. (lebâs-e pambei too garmâ râhat-tare.) “Cotton clothing is more comfortable in the heat.”
Cultural note
Cotton has been cultivated in parts of Greater Iran for well over a thousand years, and the word پنبه appears in classical Persian literature and early Islamic-era texts. Historically, the regions of Khorasan, Gorgan, and Khuzestan were notable cotton-producing areas, and Iranian cotton textiles were traded across Central Asia and the Middle East. Today, cotton cultivation in Iran is concentrated in Golestan, Khorasan, and Khuzestan provinces. The phrase پنبهی کسی را زدن (to card someone’s cotton) is a Persian idiom meaning to expose or reveal someone’s secrets or faults.