Urdu

noun

: an Indo-Aryan language that has the same colloquial basis as standard Hindi, is an official language of Pakistan, and is widely used by Muslims in urban areas of India

Examples of Urdu in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Now, after cutting immigration targets and limiting temporary residency, Canada is also actively deterring asylum seekers with ads in 11 languages, including Ukrainian, Hindi, Urdu and Tamil, according to Reuters earlier this month. Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 28 Dec. 2024 Information about your rights when being questioned by police is available from the ACLU of Tennessee in several languages other than English, including Arabic, Spanish and Urdu. Evan Mealins, The Tennessean, 26 Nov. 2024 Its buildings are in the Dutch Renaissance style, while its characters — who are ethnically diverse, and wear both Western and South Asian Muslim garb — all speak Urdu. Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 27 Nov. 2024 In Chicago, voters can choose to vote in one of 12 languages on touchscreen machines: English, Spanish, Chinese, Hindi, Polish, Korean, Tagalog, Gujarati, Urdu, Arabic, Ukrainian, and Russian. Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 5 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for Urdu 

Word History

Etymology

Hindi & Urdu urdū, from Persian zabān-e-urdū-e-muallā language of the Exalted Camp (the imperial bazaar in Delhi)

First Known Use

1796, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Urdu was in 1796

Dictionary Entries Near Urdu

Cite this Entry

“Urdu.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Urdu. Accessed 6 Jan. 2025.

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