Word Meaning
हफ़्ताद
haftād
hinumeral
Meaning
Seventy; the cardinal number seventy.
Detailed Meaning
In Persian and Urdu, 'haftad' denotes the number seventy. In classical verse, it almost always occurs within the idiom 'haftad-o-do millat' (seventy-two sects), an allusion to Islamic tradition representing sectarian division. In this couplet, it highlights how true divine insight is lost amidst factional scholastic disputes until one's intellect is stripped of bias.
Etymology
Persian (haftād), from Middle Persian haftād, from Old Iranian *haftāti- (seventy).
Usage
In classical Urdu poetry, it is most frequently used in the compound 'haftad-o-do' to invoke the theological discord of the seventy-two sects.
Examples
Free from the dispute of the seventy-two sects
A span of seventy years
Synonyms
सत्तर
Related Words
हफ़्तहफ़्ताद-ओ-दोमिल्लत