What it means
زخم معده (zakhm-e me’de) is the standard medical and everyday term for a stomach ulcer, meaning an open sore in the lining of the stomach. The word زخم comes from Persian and means wound or sore (tracing back to Middle Persian zaxm). The word معده comes from the Arabic مَعِدَة (ma’ida), meaning stomach. Persian combined these two roots into a compound that doctors, patients, and pharmacists all use without any formal-informal split. A related phrase is زخم دوازدهه (zakhm-e davâzdahe), which refers to a duodenal ulcer just beyond the stomach.
How to use it
- دکتر گفت زخم معده دارم. (Doktor goft zakhm-e me’de dâram.) “The doctor said I have a stomach ulcer.”
- درد زخم معده معمولاً صبحا بدتره. (Dard-e zakhm-e me’de ma’mulan sobhâ badtare.) “Stomach ulcer pain is usually worse in the mornings.”
- برای زخم معده چی بخورم؟ (Barâye zakhm-e me’de chi bekhuram?) “What should I eat for a stomach ulcer?”
- استرس زخم معدهام رو بدتر میکنه. (Estres zakhm-e me’de-am ro badtar mikone.) “Stress makes my stomach ulcer worse.”
Cultural note
Stomach ulcers are widely discussed in Iranian daily life, partly because spicy food, tea on an empty stomach, and high stress levels are common lifestyle factors. Many Iranians self-diagnose and turn to herbal remedies such as دمنوش بابونه (chamomile tea) before visiting a doctor. The condition is frequently mentioned in older generations as a badge of hard life or financial worry, with phrases like “از دست تو زخم معده گرفتم” (your behavior gave me an ulcer) used expressively to signal stress caused by another person.