What it means
وزنهبرداری (vazneh-bardâri) means weightlifting, specifically the competitive Olympic sport. The word is a compound: وزنه (vazneh) comes from the Arabic root وزن (w-z-n), meaning weight or measure, and برداری (bardâri) is a Persian deverbal noun from برداشتن (bardâshtan), meaning to lift or pick up. Together they form a descriptive compound that is entirely transparent to a Persian speaker. In colloquial speech you may also hear وزنه بلند کردن (vazneh boland kardan), meaning to lift a weight, as a looser synonym.
How to use it
- وزنهبرداری ورزش ملی ایران است. (vazneh-bardâri varzesh-e melli-ye irân ast.) “Weightlifting is a national sport of Iran.”
- او در وزنهبرداری مدال طلا گرفت. (u dar vazneh-bardâri medâl-e talâ gereft.) “He won a gold medal in weightlifting.”
- هر روز وزنهبرداری میکنم تا عضله بسازم. (har ruz vazneh-bardâri mi-konam tâ azole besâzam.) “I lift weights every day to build muscle.”
- مسابقات وزنهبرداری را تلویزیون پخش کرد. (mosâbeqât-e vazneh-bardâri ro televizion pakhsh kard.) “The television broadcast the weightlifting competition.”
Cultural note
Iran has one of the strongest weightlifting traditions in the world and has produced multiple Olympic and world champions. Hossein Rezazadeh, who competed in the super-heavyweight category, is widely regarded as one of the greatest weightlifters in history and won Olympic gold at both Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004. The sport draws devoted followings across Iran, particularly in provinces with wrestling traditions such as Khorasan and Gilan. Weightlifting and traditional wrestling (koshti) are often spoken of together as the pillars of Iranian sporting identity.