ख़ाक

See also: ख़ाकी

Hindi

Alternative forms

• खाक (khāk)

Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Persian خاک (xāk).

Pronunciation

• (Delhi Hindi) IPA^(key): /xɑːk/, [xäːk], /kʰɑːk/, [kʰäːk]

Noun

ख़ाक • (xāk) f (Urdu spelling خاک)

1. dust, ashes

   ख़ाक मेरी आँखें में घुस गई।

   xāk merī ā̃khẽ mẽ ghus gaī.

   The dust got into my eyes.

2. (figuratively, attributive) useless, of no use
   • after 1824, Ghalib 87.1:

     आबरू क्या ख़ाक उस गुल की कि गुलशन में नहीं
     है गरेबाँ नंग-ए-पैराहन जो दामन में नहीं

     ābrū kyā xāk us gul kī ki gulśana mẽ nahī̃
     hai garebā̃ naṅg-e-pairāhan jo dāman mẽ nahī̃

     What uselessness is the honor [i.e. there is no honor] of the rose that is not in the garden
     the collar is a shame to the robe if it is not in the hem

Declension

Declension of ख़ाक (fem cons-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	ख़ाक xāk	ख़ाकें xākẽ
oblique	ख़ाक xāk	ख़ाकों xākõ
vocative	ख़ाक xāk	ख़ाको xāko

Related terms

• ख़ाकी (xākī)

See also

• khaki