Pazend in the context of "Zend"

The Avestan alphabet (Avestan: 𐬛𐬍𐬥 𐬛𐬀𐬠𐬌𐬭𐬫𐬵 transliteration: dīn dabiryªh, Middle Persian: transliteration: dyn' dpywryh, transcription: dēn dibīrīh, Persian: دین دبیره, romanized: din dabire) is a writing system developed during Iran's Sasanian era (226–651 CE) to render the Avestan language.

As a side effect of its development, the script was also used for Pazend, a method of writing Middle Persian that was used primarily for Zend commentaries on the texts of the Avesta. In the texts of Zoroastrian tradition, the alphabet is referred to as "the religion's script" (dēn dibīrīh in Middle Persian and din dabireh in New Persian).

Frahang-ī Pahlavīg (Middle Persian: 𐭯𐭥𐭧𐭭𐭢 𐭯𐭧𐭫𐭥𐭩𐭪, lit. 'Pahlavi dictionary'; Persian: فرهنگ پهلوی) is the title of an anonymous dictionary of mostly Aramaic logograms with Middle Persian translations (in Pahlavi script) and transliterations (in Pazend script). Its date is unknown.

The glossary was previously known to Indian Zoroastrians, called the Parsis, as the mna-xvatay (traditionally pronounced mona khoda), a name derived from the first two words (the lemma) of the first entry.