A mobed or mobad is a Zoroastrian

Zoroastrianism

Zoroastrianism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of prophet Zoroaster and was formerly among the world's largest religions. It was probably founded some time before the 6th century BCE in Greater Iran.In Zoroastrianism, the Creator Ahura Mazda is all good, and no evil...

 cleric of a particular rank. Unlike a herbad

Herbad

Hērbad is a title given to Zoroastrian priests of minor orders.In the present-day, hērbad is the lowest rank in the Zoroastrian priesthood, and is granted following the basic navar ceremony that marks the beginning of theological training. Unlike a mobed or dastur, a herbad may not be the...

(ervad), a mobed is qualified to serve as celebrant priest at the Yasna

Yasna

Yasna is the name of the primary liturgical collection of texts of the Avesta as well as the name of the principal Zoroastrian act of worship at which those verses are recited. The Yasna, or Izeshne, is primarily the name of the ceremony in which the entire book is recited and appropriate...

 ceremony. A mobed is also qualified to train other priests.

In general (lay) use, the term is also used as an honorific to denote any priest, of any rank. For instance, Hormizd I

Hormizd I

Hormizd I was the third Sassanid King of Persia from 270/72 to 273.He was the youngest son of Shapur I , under whom he was governor of Khorasan, and appears in his wars against Rome Hormizd I was the third Sassanid King of Persia from 270/72 to 273.He was the youngest son of Shapur I...

 appointed Kartir

Kartir

Kartir Hangirpe was a highly influential Zoroastrian high-priest of the late 3rd century CE and served as advisor to at least three Sassanid emperors....

 moabadan-moabad, which is frequently translated as 'priest of priests', but more precisely indicates 'high priest of high priests'.

The term 'mobed' is a contraction of Middle Persian

Middle Persian

Middle Persian , indigenously known as "Pârsig" sometimes referred to as Pahlavi or Pehlevi, is the Middle Iranian language/ethnolect of Southwestern Iran that during Sassanid times became a prestige dialect and so came to be spoken in other regions as well. Middle Persian is classified as a...

 magu-pati, the first half of the expression apparently deriving from Avestan

Avestan language

Avestan is an East Iranian language known only from its use as the language of Zoroastrian scripture, i.e. the Avesta, from which it derives its name...

 maga- or magu- (of uncertain meaning), and with Avestan -paiti meaning "master" or "teacher". Through Old Persian magush and Ancient Greek μάγος magos, Old Iranian

Iranian languages

The Iranian languages form a subfamily of the Indo-Iranian languages which in turn is a subgroup of Indo-European language family. They have been and are spoken by Iranian peoples....

 magu- is also identified as the origin of the Latin word magus, a "magian

Magi

Magi is a term, used since at least the 4th century BC, to denote a follower of Zoroaster, or rather, a follower of what the Hellenistic world associated Zoroaster with, which...

". Through the Greek adjective μαγικός magikos and Old French magique, 'mobed' is distantly related to the English language word "magic

Magic (paranormal)

Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...

".