Word Meaning
नावक-फ़गन
nāwak-fagan
hinoun compound / adjective
Meaning
An archer; one who shoots deadly arrows, conventionally the cruel beloved.
Detailed Meaning
Literally means an archer who discharges small, lethal arrows (nāwak). In classical Urdu poetry, it serves as an epithet for the beloved whose sidelong glances pierce the lover's heart and liver. In this couplet, it combines with 'but' (idol) to describe the beloved whose archery and aim are being put to the test.
Etymology
Persian compound of 'nāwak' (a notch-arrow or tubular arrow-guide) and 'fagan' (agent noun from afkandan, to cast/throw).
Usage
A stock poetic motif in ghazals to personify the beloved as a relentless archer whose gaze inflicts fatal yet welcomed wounds.
Examples
A target set for the archer's lethal glance
The wound struck deep by the deadly marksman
Synonyms
तीरंदाज़नावक-अंदाज़कमॉंगिर
Related Words
नावकतीरशुस्तजिगर