Persian, noun
- Origin:
- So named because the breed was developed from stock originating in the Persian Gulf.
One of a breed of sheep, the Blackhead Persian (blackhead sense 2). Also attributive.
1912 R. Lydekker Sheep & its Cousins 209The Persian fat-rumped sheep..is a well-known breed, which has been carried to Cape Colony and Rhodesia, where it is now bred to a considerable extent.
1966 E. Palmer Plains of Camdeboo 256‘I guess it is a black-head Persian from the Karoo.’ ‘You’re right,’ replied Sir Abe [Bailey] with delight. ‘It is Karoo Persian.’ When he travelled he took with him live Persian sheep from the Karoo to be slaughtered when he needed them.

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