Meaning

6 senses
  1. (Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, South Asia, also, countable, figuratively)A curtain, especially one used in some Hindu or Muslim traditions to conceal women from the gaze of people, particularly men and strangers.

    a screen used in India to separate women from men or strangers

  2. (broadly, countable)A long veil or other attire covering most of the body, worn by women in some Muslim societies.

  3. (broadly, uncountable)The situation or system of secluding women from the gaze of people, particularly men and strangers, in some Muslim and Hindu traditions, by using a curtain or screen, and/or wearing a face veil or attire covering most of the body.

    Parda

    пурдаpurda, пардаparda

    пурдаpurda

    the traditional Hindu or Muslim system of keeping women secluded

  4. (broadly, figuratively, uncountable)Keeping apart; isolation, seclusion; also, concealment, secrecy.

  5. (UK, broadly, countable)The period between the announcement of an election or referendum and its conclusion, during which civil servants refrain from making policy announcements or taking actions that could be seen as advantageous to certain candidates in the election.

  6. (broadly, obsolete, rare, uncountable)A striped cotton cloth which is used to make curtains.

Translations

4 languages
Українська
By meaning 1
situation or system of secluding women from the gaze of people in some Muslim and Hindu traditions:
Русский
By meaning 1
situation or system of secluding women from the gaze of people in some Muslim and Hindu traditions:
Deutsch
By meaning 1
situation or system of secluding women from the gaze of people in some Muslim and Hindu traditions:

Origin

Borrowed from Hindustani پردہ / पर्दा (pardā), and its etymon Classical Persian پرده (pard

Borrowed from Hindustani پردہ / पर्दा (pardā), and its etymon Classical Persian پرده (pardah, “curtain; screen; (archaic) veil”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₂- (“flat”). Doublet of patka.

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

plural: purdahs

Synonyms

2 synonyms
Close in meaning
  • the traditional Hindu or Muslim system of keeping women secluded:sex segregation
  • a state of social isolation:solitude

Word family

3 related words

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
purdah — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto