زور

What it means

زور (zur) means force, strength, or power, particularly physical or coercive force. It is pure Persian and one of the most productive roots in the language. زور داشتن (zur dâshtan) means to have strength or force. زور زدن (zur zadan) means to exert force, to push hard, or more abstractly to try hard at something. به زور (be zur) means by force or against someone’s will. زورگو (zurgu) means a bully or someone who imposes by force, and زورگویی (zurguyi) is the abstract noun for bullying or coercion. زور آزمایی (zur-âzmâyi) is a contest of strength. When Iranians say زورم نمی‌رسه (zur-am nemireseh) they mean I’m not strong enough for this or it is beyond my power, which is also a polite way to decline something difficult.

How to use it

• به زور نمیشه آدم رو وادار کرد. (be zur nemishe âdam ro vâdâr kard.) “You can’t force a person by coercion.”
• زور زد ولی در باز نشد. (zur zad vali dar bâz nashod.) “He pushed hard but the door didn’t open.”
• زورم نمی‌رسه این جعبه رو بلند کنم. (zur-am nemirese in ja’be ro boland konam.) “I’m not strong enough to lift this box.”
• اون آدم زورگوییه. (un âdam-e zurguiye.) “That person is a bully.”

Cultural note

زور runs deep in Persian cultural imagination. The zurkhâneh (زورخانه, house of strength) is an ancient Iranian institution combining athletics, music, and Sufi spirituality, where practitioners train in traditional Persian martial arts and gymnastics. The word zuri that circulates in Iranian community speech means someone with connections or muscle who gets things done outside normal channels, a usage that reflects the cultural ambivalence about the line between strength and imposition. In everyday speech زور بودن can also mean being in season or available in abundance, as in هندوانه زوره (watermelon is plentiful right now), a completely separate colloquial sense.

References

• Dehkhoda
• Vajehyab