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purdah

purdah

9.9
A curtain or screen that keeps women separate from men and out of view
  • noun
  • /ˈpərdə/
  • Indian
translation icon : purdah
  • The concept of purdah reflects the traditional practice of keeping women secluded from public view.

Examples

  • She explored a range of topics including women's education, divorce, purdah and the ways that Indian families responded to population growth.

  • In some cultures, purdah involves women using a purdah to maintain their privacy from men and strangers.

  • You know the purdah?

  • Walking past the purdah, I was careful not to intrude on the women's private space.

Synonyms

sex segregation
vspurdah
1 7.0

The practice of separating men and women into different places or groups

is a specific cultural secluding practice rather than general sex separation
purdah tradition
vspurdah
  • Indian
9.9

Women staying out of public view in some communities so men who are not relatives do not see them

is the specific practice or curtain used to separate women physically

Compounds

9.9

Women staying out of public view in some communities so men who are not relatives do not see them

How Private

purdah
  • Indian
9.9
partition
14 4.2
curtain
312 1.0
openness
5 2.9

Surface Forms

purdah singular
purdahs plural

Etymology

Purdah comes from the Persian word pardah meaning 'curtain', and it reached English through Hindi and Urdu. So a purdah is a 'curtain' or screen used to separate or hide women from men.