Urdu

[ oor-doo, ur-; oor-doo, ur- ]

noun

1. one of the official languages of Pakistan, a language derived from Hindustani, used by Muslims, and written with Persian-Arabic letters.

Urdu

/ ˈɜː-; ˈʊəduː /

noun

1. an official language of Pakistan, also spoken in India. The script derives primarily from Persia. It belongs to the Indic branch of the Indo-European family of languages, being closely related to Hindi but containing many Arabic and Persian loan words

Word History and Origins

Origin of Urdu¹

< Urdu, Hindi urdū, extracted from Persian zabān i urdū literally, language of the camp (ultimately < Turkic; horde )

Word History and Origins

Origin of Urdu¹

C18: from Hindustani ( zabāni ) urdū (language of the) camp, from Persian urdū camp, from Turkish ordū

Example Sentences

He protested against the use of textbooks in English and Urdu in a region where most people spoke the Ladakhi language.

From BBC

Able to communicate in Urdu, Ms Ahmadei said she comforted her and sympathised with her raising a family without female relatives in the country.

From BBC

Many listeners first encountered her hypnotic and immersive style via her 2021 breakthrough, “Vulture Prince”: a minimalist blend of jazz, folk and ghazals, a form of Urdu poetry that incorporates themes of longing and loss.

From New York Times

The song, performed as a duet with the Pakistani singer Shae Gill, defies such simple classifications — it’s a pop banger sung in Urdu and Punjabi, punctuated with flamenco handclaps and driven by a reggaeton beat.

From New York Times

I giggle again, this time because she said Zayd’s and my favorite Urdu word.

From Literature