purdah

or pur·da, par·dah

[ pur-duh ]
See synonyms for purdah on Thesaurus.com
noun(in India, Pakistan, etc.)
  1. the seclusion of women from the sight of men or strangers, practiced by some Muslims and Hindus.

  2. a screen, curtain, or veil used for this purpose.

Origin of purdah

1
1790–1800; <Hindi, Urdu pardah curtain <Persian

Words Nearby purdah

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use purdah in a sentence

  • The purdah rustled, and the speech was cut short by the entry of a little thin woman, with big rings round her eyes.

    Under the Deodars | Rudyard Kipling
  • purdah, pur′d, n. a curtain screening a chamber of state or the women's apartments: the seclusion itself.

  • In the huts there was scarce one piece of furniture, save perhaps a bed or a roll of matting or a ragged purdah.

  • This had produced a violent revulsion towards the purdah system and the idea of a matrimonial alliance with Gunter Lake.

  • She came on board to see us, but many precautions to preserve the purdah had to be taken.

    The Last Voyage | Lady (Annie Allnutt) Brassey

British Dictionary definitions for purdah

purdah

purda

/ (ˈpɜːdə) /


noun
  1. the custom in some Muslim and Hindu communities of keeping women in seclusion, with clothing that conceals them completely when they go out

  2. a screen in a Hindu house used to keep the women out of view

  1. a veil worn by Hindu women of high caste

  2. informal hiding or isolation: the Treasury is currently locked in pre-budget purdah

Origin of purdah

1
C19: from Hindi parda veil, from Persian pardah

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012