Word Meaning
फोड़ा
phoṛā
hinoun
Meaning
A boil, ulcer, or painful festering abscess.
Detailed Meaning
Literally referring to an inflamed, pus-filled boil or abscess, the term is used in classical Urdu poetry as a raw physical metaphor for a heart festering in intense grief. In the couplet, the speaker likens the heart to a boil ripening through agonizing pain all night, becoming so tender that by dawn even the gentlest touch would be unbearable.
Etymology
Sanskrit स्फोट (sphoṭa, meaning 'bursting' or 'boil') via Prakrit.
Usage
In classical ghazal poetry, such starkly somatic imagery is unusual, giving the depiction of emotional suffering an intensely visceral shock.
Examples
festering like a boil in the chest
a pain tender as an untouched boil
Synonyms
दुम्बलनासूरदाना
Related Words
ज़ख़्मपीबटीसछाला