Dictionary

tawaif en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /t̪ə.wɑː.jf/ (Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, South-Asia)
• /t̪ə.ʋɑː.ɪf/ (Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, South-Asia)
• /t̪ə.ʋɑː.jf/ (Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, South-Asia)
• /t̪ə.wɑː.ɪf/ (Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, South-Asia)

Etymology

Borrowed from Hindustani (Hindi तवायफ़ (tavāyaf) / Urdu طَوائِف (tavāif)), in turn derived from Classical Persian طَوَائِف (tawā'if), ultimately derived from Arabic طَوائِف (ṭawāʔif).

Meanings

1. (Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, South-Asia, historical) A professional courtesan serving the nobility, especially under the Mughal Empire; (derogatory)
   • Characterized by its soft eroticism, mujra was performed by courtesans called tawaif who were an integral part of life in the Mughal court. 2008, Susan Dewey, Hollow Bodies, page 147:
   • And since the British period, the reputation of a common prostitute has dogged the heels of the tawaif. 2008, Gayatri Chatterjee, in Sahni, Shankar, Apte (Eds.), Prostitution and Beyond, p. 290
   • ‘The tawaif has graduated from mere singing to dancing.’ 1997, Kiran Nagarkar, Cuckold, HarperCollins, published 2013, page 11:
2. (Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, South-Asia, derogatory) harlot, whore, prostitute

Forms