Word Meaning
दुम
dum
hinoun
Meaning
Tail of an animal; component of the idiom for false dawn.
Detailed Meaning
'Dum' literally refers to an animal's tail. In classical poetry, it is famously used in the Persian compound 'dum-e-gurg' (the wolf's tail), which symbolizes the false dawn or zodiacal light. In this couplet, Ghalib diminishes the terror of the Day of Judgment by comparing its morning to merely a fleeting false dawn in the wasteland where the beloved hunts.
Etymology
Persian (دُم)
Usage
In Urdu ghazals, it most frequently occurs within Persian genitive phrases such as 'dum-e-gurg' to invoke the faint and misleading glow before true dawn.
Examples
dum-e-gurg (the wolf's tail / false dawn)
dum dabā kar chalnā (to retreat meekly)
Synonyms
पूँछज़ुनुब
Related Words
दुम-ए-गुर्गसुब्ह-ए-काज़िबशिकार