purdah

Where does the word "purdah" come from? It comes from Old Persian pari-da-, passing through Persian before entering English (1800).

Purdah’s story begins in Old Persian: pari-da- meant “to place around, enclose.” Compound of "around" and "to place". By medieval, the word had taken hold in Persian as pardah. Came to mean a screening curtain or veil. It reached English by 1800 as purdah. Borrowed via Urdu during British rule in India. Today, purdah means the practice in some Muslim and Hindu societies of screening women from men or strangers, by a curtain, veil, or seclusion.

1. Stage 1 · Old Persian · ancient pari-da- "to place around, enclose", compound of "around" and "to place".
2. Stage 2 · Persian · medieval pardah "veil, curtain", came to mean a screening curtain or veil.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1800 purdah "the seclusion of women behind a screen", borrowed via Urdu during British rule in India.