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At·tar

(ătər, ə-tär) Full name Farid ad-Din Attar. Died c. 1229.

Persian poet and mystic whose masterpiece, Conference of the Birds, is an allegorical survey of Sufism.

at·tar

(ătər) also ot·tar (ŏtər) or ot·to (ŏtō)

A fragrant essential oil or perfume obtained from flowers: attar of roses.

[Persian 'aṭir, perfumed, from Arabic, aromatic; see ʿṭr in the Appendix of Semitic roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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