purdah
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pur·dah
(pûr′də)n.
1.
a. A curtain or screen, used mainly in India to keep women separate from men or strangers.
b. The Hindu or Muslim system of sex segregation, practiced especially by keeping women in seclusion.
2. Social seclusion: "Never have artists been more separate: their inordinate fame, wealth, drug use have driven them into luxurious purdah" (D. Keith Mano).
[Urdu pardah, veil, from Persian, from Middle Persian pardak, from Old Persian *paridaka-, from pari-dā-, to place over : pari, around, over; see per in Indo-European roots + dā-, to place; see dhē- in Indo-European roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
purdah
(ˈpɜːdə) orpurda
n
1. (Hinduism) the custom in some Muslim and Hindu communities of keeping women in seclusion, with clothing that conceals them completely when they go out
2. (Islam) the custom in some Muslim and Hindu communities of keeping women in seclusion, with clothing that conceals them completely when they go out
3. (Hinduism) a screen in a Hindu house used to keep the women out of view
4. (Hinduism) a veil worn by Hindu women of high caste
5. informal hiding or isolation: the Treasury is currently locked in pre-budget purdah.
[C19: from Hindi parda veil, from Persian pardah]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
pur•dah
par•dah
(ˈpɜr də)n. (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.
[1790–1800; < Hindi, Urdu pardah curtain < Persian]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
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| Noun | 1. |  purdah - a state of social isolation isolation - a state of separation between persons or groups |
| 2. | purdah - the traditional Hindu or Muslim system of keeping women secluded separatism, segregation - a social system that provides separate facilities for minority groups | |
| 3. | purdah - a screen used in India to separate women from men or strangers screen - partition consisting of a decorative frame or panel that serves to divide a space |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
purdah
[ˈpɜːrdə] n → purdah mto be in purdah → être en purdah
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
purdah
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007