Word Meaning
तौक़
tauq
hinoun
Meaning
An iron collar, neck-shackle, or yoke worn around the neck.
Detailed Meaning
Literally refers to an iron collar or yoke fastened around the neck of prisoners or lunatics to restrain them. Metaphorically in Urdu poetry, it represents the helpless agony of entrapment, fate, or the suffocating grip of obsessive love. In the cited verse, the speaker feels his neck constricted as if trapped within a punitive iron collar.
Etymology
Arabic root ط-و-ق (ṭ-w-q), denoting a ring, collar, or yoke.
Usage
Frequently paired with 'ज़ंजीर' in the compound idiom 'तौक़-ओ-ज़ंजीर' to signify absolute captivity or the helplessness of the stricken lover.
Examples
The collar of sorrow weighed heavy upon his neck.
Free from worldly ties, yet trapped in the yoke of love.
Synonyms
गुलूबंदपट्टाशिकंजा
Related Words
ज़ंजीरसलासिलबेड़ीहल्क़ा