vazn

Vazn, written in Persian as وزن, is a multifaceted term used in Persian, Urdu, and Arabic with several related meanings. In everyday usage, vazn most commonly means weight or mass and is used with units of measurement such as kilograms or pounds. It can also convey heaviness, balance, or significance in a metaphorical sense.

In literary contexts, vazn denotes the metrical structure or rhythm of a line or poem. In Persian and Urdu poetics, vazn describes the pattern of long and short syllables that underpins a verse. The system is inherited from Arabic prosody (arud) and is used to classify classical meters. Poets typically compose within prescribed vazn patterns, and analysis of verse often cites its vazn along with rhyme and other features. This practice is a central aspect of the study of meter and prosody in these literary traditions.

The word vazn derives from the Arabic wazn, meaning weight, measure, or balance, and was borrowed into Persian and other languages with those senses. The term has extended usage beyond everyday language to scholarly discussions of poetry and rhythm, reflecting its core association with structure and equilibrium.

In addition to linguistic uses, vazn appears in discussions of poetry and rhythm, and may appear in place names or personal names in some cultural contexts where Arabic-derived vocabulary is common. See also weight, mass, meter, prosody, arud, Persian poetry, Urdu poetry.