Word Meaning
फन
phan
hinoun
Meaning
The expanded hood of a snake or cobra.
Detailed Meaning
In this couplet, the word denotes the expanded hood of a cobra ('mār-e-siyah') raised menacingly. The poet compares the deadly arrowhead piercing out of the chest to a black serpent raising its hood. Though often confused with the Perso-Arabic homophone meaning art or skill, here it is the Indic term for a serpent's hood.
Etymology
Sanskrit फण (phaṇa), entering Urdu/Hindi through Prakrit.
Usage
In classical Urdu poetry, a serpent's raised hood is frequently invoked as an emblem of lethal beauty, coiled dread, or the dark curls of the beloved.
Examples
like a dark serpent raising its hood
the dreaded hood of a black viper
Synonyms
फणसाँप का सिर
Related Words
मारज़हरडंकसियह