What it means
پیشنویس (pish-nevis) is a compound noun built from two pure Persian elements: پیش (pish, “before, ahead”) and نویس (nevis), the present stem of نوشتن (neveshtan, “to write”). Together they mean “pre-write” or “written beforehand,” producing the sense of a draft or preliminary version of a text. The word applies to any document that has not yet been finalized: a draft contract, a first version of a report, a rough letter, or an early-stage policy text. It is used at all registers, from formal office settings to casual writing contexts. A related term is طرح اولیه (tarh-e avvaliye, “initial outline”), which can overlap but usually implies a more schematic, less text-heavy preliminary version.
How to use it
- یه پیشنویس از قرارداد آماده کن. (Ye pish-nevis az qarârdâd âmâde kon.) “Prepare a draft of the contract.”
- پیشنویس رو فرستادم، نظرت رو بده. (Pish-nevis ro ferestâdam, nazarat ro bede.) “I sent the draft, give me your feedback.”
- هنوز پیشنویسه، نهایی نشده. (Hanuz pish-nevise, nahâyi nashode.) “It’s still a draft, it hasn’t been finalized.”
- پیشنویس دوم خیلی بهتر از اولیه. (Pish-nevis-e dovvom kheyli behtar az avvalie.) “The second draft is much better than the first.”
Cultural note
In Iranian office and academic culture, submitting a پیشنویس for review before finalization is a standard and expected step. Legal offices, government ministries, and universities all circulate draft documents for comment before issuing a final version. The word also appears in journalism and publishing: editors ask writers for their پیشنویس before editing begins. In everyday digital life, the drafts folder of an email client is often labeled پیشنویس in Farsi-language interfaces, which has reinforced the word’s familiarity across age groups.