Word Meaning
कू
koo
hiadverb
Meaning
Where; whence (interrogative adverb indicating location or rhetorical absence).
Detailed Meaning
In Persian grammar and classical Urdu poetry, 'koo' (کو) functions as an interrogative adverb meaning 'where'. In this couplet by Ghalib, it poses a rhetorical question highlighting total absence: 'where is the steadfast foot?', emphasizing the candle's sheer instability and impossibility of firmness.
Etymology
Persian (کو, derived from Middle Persian kū / kūy meaning 'where').
Usage
Often used in classical ghazals with Persianized phrasing to convey an emphatic rhetorical negative implying 'nowhere to be found'.
Examples
Koo paa-e-sabaat (Where is the foot of steadfastness?)
Koo yaar o koo dayaar (Where is the beloved, and where the homeland?)
Synonyms
कहाँकुजाकिधर
Related Words
कू-ब-कूकुजाकहाँ