Word Meaning
नुमा
numā
Meaning
Growth, flourishing, increase; or showing, appearing as a suffix.
Detailed Meaning
Derived from Persian and linked with Arabic 'namā' (growth), the word 'numā' functions as a suffix meaning 'showing' or 'exhibiting', and in the hendiadys 'nashv-o-numā' it signifies growth and flourishing. In Ghalib's couplet, it combines with 'nashv' to denote the physical development and flowering of the season. The poet describes the deficiency of growth unless the blossom grows tall enough to robe the stately cypress.
Etymology
Persian 'numā' (present stem of namūdan, to show) conflated in compounds with Arabic 'namāʾ' (growth, increase).
Usage
Commonly used as an adjectival suffix denoting appearance, and in classical ghazal coupled with 'nashv' to symbolize vegetative or personal growth.
Examples
The garden witnessed fresh signs of growth.
The beloved's beauty was an exhibition of grace.