zinar

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Marathi झीनार (jhīnār, “necklace”); ultimately from Arabic زینار (zinar, “belt, sash”).

Noun

zinar (plural zinars)

1. A necklace with amulets used ceremonially by Hindus.
   • 1769, Firishta, translated by Alexander Dow, Tales translated from the Persian of Inatulla of Delhi, volume I, Dublin: P. and W. Wilson et al., page vi:

     [A] young maid advanced towards us of ſuch exquiſite beauty and form, that a devotee of true faith would have worſhipped the divinities which beamed in the arched temples of her eyes, and wiſh to wear the zinar, if woven of her ambroſial hair.

   • 1810, J. Goldsmith, A General View of the Manners, Customs and Curiosities of Nations, volume I, Philadelphia: Johnson and Warner, page 248:

     When this ceremony is over, they burn incense, make an offering according to the circumstances of the parents, and, without consulting them, tie the zinar, or amulet, about the infant's neck, giving it a name according to their own fancy.

   • 1838, Elizabeth Stewart, Anáya, the prophetess of Méwar, London: Smith, Elder and Co., page iii:

     On each head the jewelled mor,
     Round each neck the proud zinar.

2. A sacred thread or cord worn by certain Hindus; a janeu or brahminical thread.

Friulian

Alternative forms

• ginar

Etymology

From Latin gener, generum, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵm̥ros, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵem-.

Noun

zinar m (plural zinars)

1. son-in-law

Related terms

• brût