اردو

Ottoman Turkish

Alternative forms

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Turkic *ordu (army camp).

Noun

اردو • (ordu) (definite accusative اردویی (orduyu), plural اردولر (ordular))

  1. military camp
    Synonym: اردوگاه (ordugâh)
  2. (by extension) army
    Synonyms: جند (cünd), جیش (ceyiş), چری (çeri), عسكر (ʼasker), لشكر (leşker)

Derived terms

  • اردولق (orduluk, the time when troops are in the field)
  • اردوگاه (ordugâh, military camp)
  • اردوی همایون (ordu-yı hümâyun, imperial army; imperial camp)

Descendants

  • > Turkish: ordu (inherited)
  • Albanian: hordhi
  • Northern Kurdish: ordî
  • Arabic: عُرْضِيّ (ʕurḍiyy)

Proper noun

اردو • (ordu)

  1. Ordu (a city and province in the East Black Sea region, Turkey)
    Synonym: بایراملی (bayramlı) (obsolete)

Descendants

Further reading

Persian

Etymology

Derived from Proto-Turkic *ordu (army, camp) (see Azerbaijani ordu, Turkish ordu, Turkmen orda). Compare horde.

Pronunciation

 

Readings
Classical reading? urdū
Dari reading? urdū
Iranian reading? ordu
Tajik reading? urdu

Noun

اردو • (urdū / ordu) (plural اردوها (urdū-hā / ordu-hâ), Tajik spelling урду)

  1. horde
  2. (Iran) camping
  3. (Dari) army

Derived terms

  • اردو زدن (urdū zadan / ordu zadan, to camp)
  • اردوگاه (urdūgāh / ordugâh, camp, campsite)

Proper noun

اردو • (urdū / ordu) (Tajik spelling Урду)

  1. Urdu

Adjective

اردو • (urdū / ordu) (Tajik spelling урду)

  1. Urdu

Descendants

Urdu

Pronunciation

  • (Standard Urdu) IPA(key): /ʊɾ.d̪uː/
  • Audio (Pakistan):(file)
  • Rhymes: -uː

Etymology 1

Shortened from اُرْدُوْئے مُعَلّیٰ (urdū-e mu'allā), from Middle Hindi زُبانِ اُرْدُوْئے مُعَلّیٰ (zubān-i urdū-e mu'allā), borrowed from Classical Persian زُبَانِ اُرْدُویِ مُعَلّیٰ (zubān-i urdū-yi mu'allā, language of the royal camp).

Proper noun

اُرْدُو • (urdūf (Hindi spelling उर्दू)

  1. the Urdu language
    کْیا آپ اُرْدُو بولْتے ہَیں؟
    kyā āp urdū bolte ha͠i?
    Do you speak Urdu?
  2. (historical, obsolete) Rekhta (the Hindustani language)

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Classical Persian اردو (urdū), from Turkic.

Noun

اُرْدُو • (urdūf (Hindi spelling उर्दू)

  1. (military, rare) army, camp
    Synonym: لَشْکَر (laśkar)

References

  • اردو”, in اُردُو لُغَت (urdū luġat) (in Urdu), Ministry of Education: Government of Pakistan, 2017.
  • اردو”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2025.