nautanki

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Hindi नौटंकी (nauṭaṅkī), from the title of a play based on a Multani folktale, ‘The Musical Drama of Queen Nautanki’.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /nɔːˈtaŋki/

Noun

nautanki (countable and uncountable, plural nautankis)

1. (uncountable) A type of Indian folk theatre, based on folklore and mythological dramas with interludes of song and dance. [from 20th c.]
   • 1997, Kiran Nagarkar, Cuckold, HarperCollins, published 2013, page 25:

     ‘Let your men make sure that this is done when no marriage party or nautanki troupe is in the vicinity.’

2. (countable) An individual performance of this kind.