What it means
پلک (pelk) is the everyday Persian word for the eyelid, the thin fold of skin that opens and closes over the eye. It is a native Persian word of Iranian origin, going back to Middle Persian. Do not confuse it with مژه (mozhe), which means eyelash, the row of hairs that grows along the edge of the پلک. When you blink, you move your پلک, and the action itself is پلک زدن (pelk zadan).
How to use it
- تند تند پلک میزنه (tond tond pelk mizane) “He keeps blinking fast.”
- پلکم داره میپره (pelkam dāre mipare) “My eyelid is twitching.”
- یه چیزی رفته زیر پلکم (ye chizi rafte zir-e pelkam) “Something has gotten under my eyelid.”
- پلک بالاش ورم کرده (pelk-e bālāsh varam karde) “His upper eyelid is swollen.”
Cultural note
The twitching eyelid, پلک پریدن (pelk paridan), is a common topic in everyday Iranian conversation. Many people treat it as a small omen and will mention it when their eyelid jumps on its own. The exact meaning people attach to it, such as which eye signals good news and which signals bad, varies a lot from family to family and region to region, so there is no single fixed rule. Medically it is usually just a harmless muscle spasm linked to tiredness or stress.