फ़रोश

Meaning

Seller, vendor, or dealer (typically used as an agentive suffix).

Detailed Meaning

In classical Persian and Urdu poetry, 'farosh' is an agent noun or suffix signifying someone who sells, trades, or displays something. In the cited couplet, it appears in the compound 'gulguna-farosh' (a seller of rouge or cosmetics), contrasting inner natural beauty with the peddler of artificial pretense. Metaphorically, it is frequently combined with abstracts to depict those who commercialize virtues, such as faith or self-worth.

Etymology

Persian, present stem of the verb 'farūkhtan' (to sell).

Usage

Frequently affixed to nouns in classical ghazals to form colorful compound epithets like 'mai-farosh' (wine-seller) or 'imaan-farosh' (faith-seller).

Examples

Synonyms

Related Words