A great number of words of French origin have entered the Persian language since the early modern period. Persian borrowed French words as France served as the most important model of modern secular culture and education for Persia as well as many other countries of the region, particularly in the 19th and early part of the 20th century. French was also used as a second language in European royal courts and aristocratic circles and of science and fashion. The following is a partial list of these loanwords: