parsee

Everyday

1. A member of a community of Zoroastrians in India and Pakistan whose families came from Persia (Iran) more than a thousand years ago. tree →
2. In the Just So Story «How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin», the Parsee is a man on an island in the Red Sea whose cake the Rhinoceros eats; to get even, the Parsee rubs cake-crumbs into the Rhinoceros's skin, which makes it itch so he rubs it into folds. tree →

In the lessons

The Parsis follow Zoroastrianism, one of the oldest religions, and many live in Mumbai. In the story, the Parsee wears a hat from which «the rays of the sun were reflected in more-than-oriental splendour»; the tale is a made-up explanation of why rhinos have baggy, folded skin — not a true one. Today «Parsi» is the usual spelling.

Examples

• The Parsee baked a cake that was two feet across and three feet thick. tree →
• The Rhinoceros ate the Parsee's cake and went away. tree →
• The Parsee filled the Rhinoceros's skin with cake-crumbs. tree →
• Many Parsis live in the city of Mumbai in India. tree →
• Parsis follow the Zoroastrian religion. tree →
• The Parsee sang a little song as he climbed down from his palm tree. tree →
• Real rhinos have folded skin, but not because of cake crumbs. tree →

Note

Write with a capital P. Modern spelling Parsi, plural Parsis. Kipling's story is a «just so» explanation, not a true science fact.