Etymology

The word is a metathesis of Alborz, which is ultimately derived from Harā Bərəzaitī, a legendary mountain in Iranian mythology. Harā Bərəzaitī reflects Proto-Iranian *Harā Bṛzatī. *Bṛzatī is the feminine form of the adjective *bṛzant ‎(“high”), the reconstructed ancestor of modern Kurdish berz ‎(“high, tall”) and modern Persian برز ‎(barz, “high, tall”). Harā may be interpreted as "watch" or "guard", from an Proto-Indo-European root *ser- ‎(“protect”). In Middle Persian, Harā Bərəzaitī became hlbwlc ‎(Harborz), Modern Persian البرز ‎(Alborz), which is cognate with Elbrus.