Learn Farsi: در ادبیات کلاسیک، معشوق خیلی زیبا است. - In classical literature, the beloved is very beautiful.

It comes from the Arabic root consonants '-sh-q (ع-ش-ق), which relate to love and form the noun عشق ('eshq). To create the passive participle (the person receiving the action), we apply the ma-C1-C2-u-C3 pattern. We add the prefix ma- and insert the long vowel -u- before the final consonant, resulting in معشوق, meaning "the one who is loved" or "beloved".

If معشوق (ma'shuq) is the passive "beloved," what is the word for the active "lover"?

To name the "doer" of the action, Farsi uses the Arabic active participle pattern, fâ'el (C1-â-C2-e-C3). Applying this to the same '-sh-q root gives us عاشق ('âsheq), meaning "lover". The dynamic between the عاشق and the معشوق is the core of the classical literature mentioned here!

Does معشوق (ma'shuq) imply a specific gender for the beloved?

No. Because Farsi does not have grammatical gender, Arabic loanwords that are grammatically masculine in Arabic are often used universally in Farsi. معشوق is used for a beloved of any gender. This deliberate gender ambiguity is a famous and essential feature of Persian classical poetry.

The word ادبیات (adabiyât) ends in an Arabic plural suffix. Is it treated as a plural noun in this sentence?