Urdu

noun

: an Indo-Aryan language that has the same colloquial basis as standard Hindi, is an official language of Pakistan, and is widely used by Muslims in urban areas of India

Examples of Urdu in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The project, which merges folk, experimental music, and Hindu and Urdu poetry, is dense, mythological, and emotionally fraught. Vrinda Jagota, SPIN, 11 Mar. 2024 Former One Direction star Zayn Malik is going back to his roots with a new song released in Urdu, and his brown fans are loving it. Sakshi Venkatraman, NBC News, 17 Jan. 2024 In the months since, Khan and allies in his party, the Movement for Justice, known by its Urdu acronym PTI, have been subdued by an onslaught of lawfare. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2024 They were filmed on busy streets or inside living rooms, and their narrators spoke in English, Urdu or other languages. Stuart A. Thompson, New York Times, 25 Jan. 2024 On the track, the former One Direction singer joins the trio on vocals in Urdu. Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 12 Jan. 2024 Other testimony from prosecutors’ witnesses included the driver who was the only other person in the car during the alleged attack and spoke through an Urdu interpreter. Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 14 Dec. 2023 Its six pieces unfold as immersive meditations, with the artists drawing from wells of jazz, Urdu poetry, and spirituality. Pitchfork, 14 Dec. 2023 In court Monday, Naveed Sarwar, speaking through an Urdu interpreter, made no such colorful comments. Emily Palmer, Peoplemag, 11 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Urdu.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Hindi & Urdu urdū, from Persian zabān-e-urdū-e-muallā language of the Exalted Camp (the imperial bazaar in Delhi)

First Known Use

1796, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Urdu was in 1796

Dictionary Entries Near Urdu

Cite this Entry

“Urdu.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Urdu. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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