Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

tawaif

/t̪ə.ʋɑː.ɪf/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: tawaif
IPA: /t̪ə.ʋɑː.ɪf/

12

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

1

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A professional courtesan serving the nobility, especially under the Mughal Empire; (derogatory)

Indian usage

noun

harlot, whore, prostitute

Indian usage; Derogatory

Example Sentences

"‘The tawaif has graduated from mere singing to dancing.’"
"Characterized by its soft eroticism, mujra was performed by courtesans called tawaif who were an integral part of life in the Mughal court."
"And since the British period, the reputation of a common prostitute has dogged the heels of the tawaif."

Etymology

Borrowed from Hindustani (Hindi तवायफ़ (tavāyaf) / Urdu طَوائِف (tavāif)), in turn derived from Classical Persian طَوَائِف (tawā'if), ultimately derived from Arabic طَوائِف (ṭawāʔif).

Origin

Source language: Hindi

Word Breakdown

Root: तवायफ़, طَوائِف, طَوَائِف

Usage

Inflected Forms

tawaifs (plural)

Questions

How do you pronounce tawaif?: The recorded pronunciation is /t̪ə.ʋɑː.ɪf/.
What does tawaif mean?: A professional courtesan serving the nobility, especially under the Mughal Empire; (derogatory)
Where does tawaif come from?: It is traced to Hindi.

How to pronounce tawaif

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “tawaif”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/t̪ə.ʋɑː.ɪf/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “tawaif”.
Repeat and practice — Say “tawaif” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.