Word Meaning
किन्हों
kinhon
Meaning
Who or which persons (oblique plural form of the interrogative pronoun).
Detailed Meaning
'Kinhon' is the classical or dialectal oblique plural form of the interrogative pronoun 'kaun' (who), typically followed by the agentive marker 'ne'. In Mir Taqi Mir's verse, 'kinhon ne' translates to 'who has' or 'which cruel persons have', questioning who tormented the grief-stricken poet to such an extent that his lamentations reach the divine throne. It often imparts an archaic, poignant, or honorific nuance in early Urdu poetry.
Etymology
Derived from Sanskrit interrogative roots (कः / केषाम्) through Prakrit/Apabhramsha forms into Old Hindi and early Urdu.
Usage
Commonly encountered in early classical Urdu (Mir, Sauda) as an archaic oblique form of 'kaun', later standardizing to 'kinhon' or 'kin' in modern Urdu and Hindi.
Examples
Kinhon ne chhedi ye daastaan-e-gham?
Jaane kinhon ne unhein fasaane sunaaye.