zenana

or za·na·na

[ zuh-nah-nuh ]

noun

1. the part of the house in which the women and girls of a family are secluded.
2. its occupants collectively.

zenana

/ zɛˈnɑːnə /

noun

1. (in the East, esp in Muslim and Hindu homes) part of a house reserved for the women and girls of a household

Word History and Origins

Origin of zenana¹

First recorded in 1755–65; from Hindi, from Persian zanāna, “female, pertaining to women,” adjective derivative of zan “woman”; cognate with Sanskrit jani “woman, wife,” Greek gynḗ, Old Church Slavonic žena, Old English cwēn “woman, wife”; queen

Word History and Origins

Origin of zenana¹

C18: from Hindi zanāna, from Persian, from zan woman

Example Sentences

The buzzing sound of UAVs has been ubiquitous in Gaza since 2006, and drones are called zenana, an Arabic word referring to the sound using the slang term for a nagging wife.

From Salon

Zenana played local pubs and clubs such as The Point in Milton Keynes and The Angel in Bedford, and in London they appeared at the Hippodrome, Dingwalls and Le Beat Route.

From BBC

Zenana, made up of Anita Gabrielle Tedder, Penny Griffiths and Ruth Elder, formed in Milton Keynes in 1983 and disbanded in 1987.

From BBC

It’s difficult to comprehend the life of women in the zenana for which so few records survive.

From Seattle Times

After abolishing the practice of widow immolation in 1829, the British turned sequestration of Indian women into one of their weapons justifying the civilizing mission; the alleged deplorable condition of women in the zenana was a way to get at Indian men.

From Seattle Times