Word Meaning
काटीं
kaatiin
Meaning
Passed, endured, or spent (nights/time, feminine plural).
Detailed Meaning
In classical Urdu poetry, 'काटीं' serves as the feminine plural past tense of 'काटना' (to cut, pass, or endure time). In this couplet by Mir, it refers to the countless painful nights of separation that Kohkan (Farhad) endured before succumbing on the fateful last one. The verb conveys the heavy, laborious nature of surviving grief and isolation.
Etymology
From Sanskrit कर्तयति (kartayati, to cut), developed into Hindustani with the figurative sense of cutting through or passing time.
Usage
Commonly collocated with 'रात' (night) or 'दिन' (day) in ghazals to evoke the painful, laborious endurance of separation.
Examples
Endured many bitter nights of separation
Passed the painful hours of waiting in despair