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Date: 12-Mar-2000
Word of the Day: 'kotaah'

Meaning:
kotaah - short, small

Couplet:
shabaan-e-hijraa.N daraaz chuu.N zulf roz-e-vaslat chuN umr kotaah 
sakhii piyaa ko jo mai.n na dekhuu.N to kaise kaaTuu.N andherii ratiyaa.N 
[Amir Khusrau]

shabaan = plural of shab = nights
shabaan-e-hijraa.N = nights of separation.
daraaz = long 
chuu.N = like 
roz-e-vaslat = day of meeting/union

This couplet is from Amir Khusrau's famous ghazal "zihaal-e-miskii.n 
makun taGaaful...". In this ghazal, each sher has the first line in Persian 
and the second line in Hindi.


Associated words:

kotaah-a.ndesh - silly
kotaah-dastii - short of reach
kotaahii - deficiency


Some more couplets:

zaruur ham se hu_ii hai kahii.n pe kotaahii
tamaam shahar me.n sannaaTe hue jaate hai.n
[Shahryar]