ihtiyar

Ihtiyar is a loanword used in several languages of the Arabic and Persianate world, including Arabic, Persian, Urdu, and Turkish, with a range of related but distinct senses. It derives from the Arabic root kh-y-r, meaning “to choose.” The noun iḥtiyār refers to the act or right of choosing, and by extension to permission, authorization, or consent granted by a person or authority.

In Arabic and in Urdu, Persian, and other related languages, ihtiyar commonly connotes option or choice: the right to decide, or the available option in a given situation. In legal and administrative contexts, it can denote permission or authorization granted by an authority, or the act of granting consent, depending on usage and formulation.

In Turkish, ihtiyar most often denotes old age or an elderly person, and is used in that sense in contemporary speech and writing. While the term can appear in historical or formal contexts to reference groups defined by age, its primary modern meaning in Turkish is related to aging and the elderly.

The word is typically transliterated as ihtiyar, iḥtiyār, or ihtiyār, with variations reflecting different languages and transcription systems. Because its meanings shift across languages, understanding ihtiyar requires attention to context to determine whether it refers to choice, permission, or age.