What it means
پیری (piri) means “old age.” Built from پیر (pir) “old” plus the abstract suffix ـی. Covers roughly 55 onward, though the word is often used emotionally rather than by exact age.
How to use it
- دوران پیری (dowrân-e piri) “the years of old age”
- در پیری (dar piri) “in old age”
- پیری و معرکهگیری (piri-vo ma’reke-giri) “old and still acting up” (idiom)
When this stage falls
Roughly 55 onward. Iranian mileposts: bâzneshastegi (retirement) which legally arrives around 60 for most professions, becoming a grandparent (often by mid-50s, given earlier marriage norms in the 80s and 90s), and gradually moving into the role of family elder whose advice carries weight.
Cultural note
پیر also has a second life as the spiritual elder, the Sufi master. So piri carries dignity that English “old age” doesn’t quite match. Iranian families typically keep elders at home rather than in care facilities, and elders are expected to give advice on marriages, careers, and disputes within the extended family.
References
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