noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A professional courtesan serving the nobility, especially under the Mughal Empire; (derogatory) South-Asia, historical

   "‘The tawaif has graduated from mere singing to dancing.’"

Synonyms

All synonyms

beaubroadcourtesancreature of the nightdrabgigolo

Example

More examples

"‘The tawaif has graduated from mere singing to dancing.’"

Etymology

From Urdu طَوائِف (tavāif) / Hindi तवायफ़ (tavāyaf).

Related phrases

mughal empire

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.