zardozi, n.

zardozi
http://www.oed.com/dictionary/zardozi_n%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_use
First published 2008

# zardozinoun

## Factsheet

### What does the noun zardozi mean?

There is one meaning in OED's entry for the noun zardozi. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.

This word is used in Indian English.

### How common is the noun zardozi?

Fewer than 0.01occurrences per million words in modern written English

1870 | 0.0005
1880 | 0.0004
1890 | 0.0004
1900 | 0.0003
1910 | 0.0002
1920 | 0.0005
1930 | 0.0006
1940 | 0.0005
1950 | 0.0007
1960 | 0.0013
1970 | 0.0018
1980 | 0.0023
1990 | 0.0024
2000 | 0.0026
2010 | 0.0031

### How is the noun zardozi pronounced?

#### British English

/zɑːˈdəʊzi/
zar-DOH-zee

#### U.S. English

/zɑrˈdoʊzi/
zar-DOH-zee

#### Indian English

/zərˈd̪oːzi/

### Where does the noun zardozi come from?

Earliest known use

1870s

The earliest known use of the noun zardozi is in the 1870s.

OED's earliest evidence for zardozi is from 1871, in the writing of Edward Balfour, surgeon and naturalist.

zardozi is of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from Urdu. Partly a borrowing from Persian.

Etymons: Urdu zardozī; Persian zardōzī.

### Nearby entries

1. zaptieh, n. 1869–
2. ZAPU, n. 1961–
3. Zar, n. 1868–
4. Zarathustrian, adj. & n. 1859–
5. Zarathustrianism, n. 1864–
6. Zarathustric, adj. 1848–
7. Zarathustrism, n. 1871–
8. zaratite, n. 1858–
9. zarcole, n. 1585–
10. zarda, n. 1899–
11. zardozi, n.1871–
12. zarf | zurf, n. 1836–
13. zari, n. 1969–
14. zariba, n. 1849–
15. zariba, v. 1885–
16. zarnich, n. 1612–
17. Zarp, n. 1895–
18. zarzuela, n. 1888–
19. zat, n. 1934–
20. zatch, n. 1950–
21. zawiya, n. 1836–

## Etymology

### Summary

Of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from Urdu. Partly a borrowing from Persian.
Etymons: Urdu zardozī; Persian zardōzī.
< Urdu zardozī and its etymon Persian zardōzī < zardōz gold embroiderer (< zar gold + dōz-, stem of < dōkhtan, dōzīdan to sew, stitch)) + ‑ī, suffix forming abstract nouns.

## Meaning & use

South Asian.

1. 1871–
   As a mass noun: a type of elaborate appliqué embroidery created using gold or silver metallic thread.
   1. 1871

      > Dori means a small twine or thread or cording, used on the edges of clothing, similarly to Nakki, Gota, Kinari, Patti, Mandil, and Zardozi.

      E. Balfour, Cyclopædia of India (ed. 2) vol. II. 138/2
   2. 1903

      > Zardozi braidings and trimmings.

      G. Watt, Indian Art at Delhi viii. 370
   3. 1970

      > This town is an important centre for art industries and luxury goods, such as zardozi, silk saries, and brassware.

      G. Singh, Geogr. India xxvii. 332
   4. 1998

      > A look that goes back to the twenties and thirties. Zardosi and elaborate beadwork create this impression.

      Leicester Mercury (Nexis) 26 November 4
   5. 2006

      > The introduction of zardozi in casual clothes has led to a further increase in its demand.

      S. Mahajan, Globalization & Social Change ix. 173
   needlework Indian English
   1. orphrey c1330–1890
      Gold embroidery, or any rich embroidery. Also: something decorated with this, a richly embroidered cloth or garment. Obsolete.
   2. zardozi 1871–
      As a mass noun: a type of elaborate appliqué embroidery created using gold or silver metallic thread.
   3. bullion embroidery 1882–
      (See quot. 1968).
   4. Paris embroidery 1882–
      A kind of fine white appliqué embroidery.
   View in Historical Thesaurus

## Pronunciation

### British English

/zɑːˈdəʊzi/
zar-DOH-zee

### U.S. English

/zɑrˈdoʊzi/
zar-DOH-zee

### Indian English

/zərˈd̪oːzi/

####

##### Consonants

- ppea
- ttea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- θthaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- ðthee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- xloch
- hhay
- llay
- ɬrhingyll
- rray
- wway
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing

Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence /ˈpɛtl/ but /ˈpɛtl̩i/.

##### Vowels

- iːfleece
- ihappy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- atrap, bath
- ɑːstart, palm, bath
- ɒlot
- ɔːthought, force
- ʌstrut
- ʊfoot
- uːgoose
- əletter
- əːnurse
- ɪənear
- ɛːsquare
- ʊəcure
- eɪface
- ʌɪpride
- aʊmouth
- əʊgoat
- ɔɪvoice
- ãgratin
- ɒ̃salon
- ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
- ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)

##### Other symbols

- The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
- The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
- Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.

View the pronunciation model here.

####

##### Consonants

- ppea
- ttea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye*
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- θthaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- ðthee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- xloch
- hhay
- llay
- rray
- wway
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing

* /d/ also represents a 'tapped' /t/ as in

Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence /ˈpɛd(ə)l/ but /ˈpɛdl̩i/.

##### Vowels

- ifleece, happy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- ætrap, bath
- ɑlot, palm, cloth, thought
- ɑrstart
- ɔcloth, thought
- ɔrnorth, force
- ʊfoot
- ugoose
- əstrut, comma
- ərnurse, letter
- ɪ(ə)rnear
- ɛ(ə)rsquare
- ʊ(ə)rcure
- eɪface
- aɪpride
- aʊmouth
- oʊgoat
- ɔɪvoice
- ɑ̃gratin
- æ̃salon
- ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
- ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)

##### Other symbols

- The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
- The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
- Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.

View the pronunciation model here.

####

Where a symbol is indicated as being ‘ELSI’, this symbol is reserved for special use, an Extension of the base symbol set only for where the root language is one of the Languages Spoken in India. In these cases, speakers familiar with that language are more likely to use a sound nearer that of the root language than to fully anglicize.

##### Consonants

- ppea
- ʈtea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ɖdye
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay, beige
- ʋway, vee
- ffore
- t̪thaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- d̪thee
- zzee
- hhay
- llay
- rray
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing
- ʂmasha (ELSI)
- ɳprana (ELSI)
- ɽkankar (ELSI)
- ɭbhelpuri (ELSI)
- ʒ(ELSI only)
- qqila (ELSI)
- xkhalasi (ELSI)
- ɣmurgh (ELSI)

Consonants can be lengthened.

ELSI consonant use – Only for words whose root language is spoken in India, /h/ is also used to indicate salient aspiration, as in kheer /khiːr/. Other consonants including /r/, /tʃ/, /dʒ/, /ʃ/ are used to reflect a broader range of qualities than in some varieties of English, while /nj/ reflects a voiced palatal nasal quality as in jnana /ˈnjaːna/. In words whose root is a language spoken in India, consonants can be followed by length marks where geminated, e.g. batta /ˈbhəθːaː/.

In Indian English, words which would have /ʒ/ in British or American Englishes (e.g. leisure) are transcribed with /dʒ/ instead. Where /ʒ/ does occur, it is as an ELSI symbol as an option for words transliterated zh in Urdu. British and American English /v/ is merged with /w/ (reflected as /ʋ/ in OED, combining features of both sounds). The pronunciation of /f/ may also vary.

Indian English has sounds known as ‘dental plosives’, similar to Irish English, which sound like /t/ and /d/ but with the tongue touching the teeth. These are represented here as /θ/ and /ð/ as they remain distinct from /t/ and /d/.

Unlike in British and U.S. Englishes, consonants are never regarded as being able to take on the function of a vowel.

##### Vowels

- iːfleece
- ihappy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- acomma
- ætrap
- ɑːbath, palm
- ɑː(r)start
- ɑːʋpower
- ʊfoot
- uːgoose
- əstrut
- ə(r)letter
- ərnurse
- ɜːnurse
- ɔlot, cloth
- ɔ(ː)thought
- ɔː(r)north, cure
- eːface
- oːgoat
- oː(r)force, cure
- aʊmouth
- aɪpride
- ɔɪvoice
- ɪə(r)near
- ɛː(r)square
- ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)

ELSI vowels can be (un)lengthened, nasalized, and/or (de)rhotacized.

ELSI vowels – These vowels are reserved for words whose root language is spoken in India; they are similar in nature to the standard symbols above but vary in length or rhoticity. Vowels may also be nasalised, as in káns /kãs/. Vowels including /ə/, /ʊ/, /aɪ/, /aʊ/ are also used to reflect a broader range of vowel qualities than in some varieties of English.

##### Other symbols

- The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
- The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
- Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.

View the pronunciation model here.

####

Simple text respell breaks words into syllables, separated by a hyphen. The syllable which carries the primary stress is written in capital letters. This key covers both British and U.S. English Simple Text Respell.

##### Consonants

b, d, f, h, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, v, w and z have their standard English values

- gguy
- jjay
- yyore
- chchore
- khloch
- shshore
- ththaw
- dhthee
- zhbeige

##### Vowels

- atrap
- ahpalm
- airsquare
- arstart
- arrcarry (British only)
- awthought
- ayface
- a(ng)gratin
- edress
- eefleece
- eerdeer
- errmerry
- ikit
- ighpride
- irrmirror
- olot (British only)
- ohgoat
- oogoose
- oorcure
- orforce
- orrsorry (British only)
- owmouth
- oyvoice
- o(ng)salon
- ustrut
- uhletter
- urnurse
- urrhurry
- uufoot

## Forms

### Variant forms

1. 1800s–
   zardosi, zardozi

## Frequency

zardozi typically occurs fewer than 0.01 times per million words in modern written English.

zardozi is in frequency band 2, which contains words occurring between 0.001 and 0.01 times per million words in modern written English. More about OED's frequency bands

Frequency data is computed programmatically, and should be regarded as an estimate.

### Frequency of zardozi, n., 1870–2010

* Occurrences per million words in written English

Historical frequency series are derived from Google Books Ngrams (version 2), a data set based on the Google Books corpus of several million books printed in English between 1500 and 2010.

The overall frequency for a given word is calculated by summing frequencies for the main form of the word, any plural or inflected forms, and any major spelling variations.

For sets of homographs (distinct entries that share the same word-form, e.g. mole, n.¹, mole, n.², mole, n.³, etc.), we have estimated the frequency of each homograph entry as a fraction of the total Ngrams frequency for the word-form. This may result in inaccuracies.

Smoothing has been applied to series for lower-frequency words, using a moving-average algorithm. This reduces short-term fluctuations, which may be produced by variability in the content of the Google Books corpus.

Decade | Frequency per million words
--- | ---
1870 | 0.0005
1880 | 0.0004
1890 | 0.0004
1900 | 0.0003
1910 | 0.0002
1920 | 0.0005
1930 | 0.0006
1940 | 0.0005
1950 | 0.0007
1960 | 0.0013
1970 | 0.0018
1980 | 0.0023
1990 | 0.0024
2000 | 0.0026
2010 | 0.0031

### Frequency of zardozi, n., 2017–2024

* Occurrences per million words in written English

Modern frequency series are derived from a corpus of 20 billion words, covering the period from 2017 to the present. The corpus is mainly compiled from online news sources, and covers all major varieties of World English.

Smoothing has been applied to series for lower-frequency words, using a moving-average algorithm. This reduces short-term fluctuations, which may be produced by variability in the content of the corpus.

Period | Frequency per million words
--- | ---
2017 | 0.015
2018 | 0.013
2019 | 0.012
2020 | 0.011
2021 | 0.0095
2022 | 0.016
2023 | 0.018
2024 | 0.021

zardozi, n. was first published in December 2008.

zardozi, n. was last modified in July 2023.