What it means
تشت (tasht) is an old native Persian word meaning a large, wide, shallow basin or tub, traditionally used for washing clothes, soaking items, or carrying water. The Avestan cognate 𐬙𐬀𐬱𐬙𐬀 (tašta, bowl) and Middle Persian tašt confirm its Old Iranian roots, tracing back to the Proto-Iranian root *taš- meaning to make or construct. The Arabic form طشت is itself a borrowing from Persian, not the other way around. Today a تشت is typically a large plastic or galvanized metal basin. A close synonym is لگن (lagan), which tends to be smaller and rounder, while تشت implies something wider and more utilitarian.
How to use it
- لباسا رو توی تشت خیس کردم تا بعد بشورم. (lebasa ro tu-ye tasht khis kardam ta ba’d beshurum.) “I soaked the clothes in the tub to wash them later.”
- یه تشت بزرگ آوردم زیر شیر آب. (ye tasht-e bozorg avardam zir-e shir-e ab.) “I brought a large basin under the tap.”
- تشت پر از میوه بود روی میز. (tasht por az mive bud ru-ye miz.) “The basin was full of fruit on the table.”
- برای عید نوروز تشت سبزه میذاریم کنار حوض. (baraye eid-e nowruz tasht-e sabze mizarim kenar-e howz.) “For Nowruz we put a tub of sprouted greens next to the pool.”
Cultural note
Before washing machines became widely available in Iranian homes in the 1970s and 1980s, the تشت was a central household object. Women would fill a large تشت with hot water, add soap or traditional washing powder, and scrub laundry by hand. The word appears in classic Persian poetry and proverbs, evidence of its long presence in the language. Today the تشت remains in use for soaking large items, dyeing fabric, sprouting seeds for Nowruz, and outdoor washing tasks where a machine is impractical.