Word Meaning
बतर
batar
Meaning
Worse; more wretched, degraded, or abject (poetic contraction of badtar).
Detailed Meaning
The word is a poetic contraction (takhfeef) of the Persian comparative adjective 'badtar', signifying 'worse' or 'more vile'. In classical poetry, it describes a state of intense humiliation, moral abasement, or ruined standing. In this couplet, the lover laments that suspicion and lack of trust have rendered his condition in the beloved's street far worse than that of a thief.
Etymology
Persian 'badtar' (بدتر: comparative of 'bad' + '-tar'), contracted metrically to 'batar' (بتر).
Usage
Employed by classical Urdu poets as a metric compression of 'badtar' to indicate comparative degradation or grief.
Examples
My plight turned worse than that of beggars.
Held in standing worse than a thief in her lane.