zenana
or za·na·na
[ zuh-nah-nuh ]
/ zəˈnɑ nə /
Save This Word!
noun (in India)
the part of the house in which the women and girls of a family are secluded.
its occupants collectively.
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!
Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.
Question 1 of 7
“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.
Meet Grammar Coach
Improve Your Writing
Origin of zenana
1755–65; <Hindi <Persian zanāna, female, pertaining to women, adj. derivative of zan woman; cognate with Sanskrit jani woman, wife, Greek gynḗ, OCS žena,Old English cwēn woman, wife; see queen
Words nearby zenana
zemiroth, Zemlinsky, zemstvo, Zemzem, Zen, zenana, Zen Buddhism, Zend, Zend-Avesta, zendo, zener diode
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for zenana
British Dictionary definitions for zenana
zenana
/ (zɛˈnɑːnə) /
noun
(in the East, esp in Muslim and Hindu homes) part of a house reserved for the women and girls of a household
Word Origin for zenana
C18: from Hindi zanāna, from Persian, from zan woman
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