Word Meaning
उस्तुख़्वाँ
ustukhwāñ
hinoun
Meaning
A bone; skeletal remains.
Detailed Meaning
In Persian and Urdu poetry, 'ustukhwān' refers literally to a bone or the skeletal frame. Figuratively, it evokes the extreme emaciation and exhaustion of the lover whose flesh has melted away in grief, leaving behind mere bones. In this couplet, it represents the vulnerable and withered body of the lover that still attracts the beloved's arrows.
Etymology
Persian (استخوان / ustuxwān), meaning bone.
Usage
A frequent trope in classical ghazals to dramatize the lover's extreme bodily wasting away (लाग़री) under the grief of separation.
Examples
Nothing was left of the consumed lover but bare bones.
The arrow struck straight against the brittle bone.
Synonyms
हड्डीअस्थि
Related Words
गोश्तलाग़रपैकर