Word Meaning
आस्तीन
āstīn
hinoun (feminine)
Meaning
Sleeve of a garment.
Detailed Meaning
Literally refers to the sleeve of a dress or garment. In classical Urdu poetry, it frequently functions as the cloth used to wipe unending tears or bloodied weeping (girya-e-khūnīñ). In this couplet, it represents the lover's sleeve that remains constantly soaked in blood-red tears and is never cleansed.
Etymology
Persian (آستین, āstīn)
Usage
Ghazal poets frequently juxtapose the sleeve (āstīn) with the hem (dāman) in motifs of lamentation, blood, and concealed treachery.
Examples
Wiping bloody tears with a drenched sleeve
To hide a drawn dagger beneath the sleeve
Synonyms
बाँहभुजदंड-वस्त्र
Related Words
दामनगिरेबानजामा