What it means
سلاح (selâh) is borrowed from Arabic, where سلاح (silâh) denotes weapons or arms in a general sense. In Persian the word covers any weapon, whether a firearm, a blade, or military hardware, and it appears frequently in legal texts, news reports, and military writing. A common synonym used in everyday speech is اسلحه (aslahe), which often refers more specifically to firearms, while selâh is broader and more formal. In legal contexts, phrases like حمل سلاح (haml-e selâh, carrying a weapon) carry specific criminal and regulatory meaning under Iranian law.
How to use it
- حمل سلاح بدون مجوز جرمه. (haml-e selâh bedune mojâvvez jorme.) “Carrying a weapon without a permit is a crime.”
- پلیس سلاح رو از مظنون گرفت. (polis selâh ro az maznun gereft.) “The police took the weapon from the suspect.”
- قاچاق سلاح خط قرمزه. (qâchâq-e selâh khatt-e ghermeze.) “Arms smuggling is a red line.”
- از سلاح در دفاع از خودت استفاده کرد. (az selâh dar defâ az khodat estefâde kard.) “He used the weapon in self-defense.”
Cultural note
Under Iranian law, private ownership and carrying of firearms is tightly restricted and governed by the Law on Carrying and Handling Weapons and Ammunition. The phrase قاچاق سلاح (qâchâq-e selâh, arms smuggling) appears regularly in judicial news and is treated as a serious national security offense. The word selâh also carries weight in Persian classical poetry and historical chronicles, where it referred to the full equipment of a warrior, and it remains a live word in both literary and contemporary legal registers.