Meanings
nounmehfil (plural mehfils)
plural mehfils
- In parts of South Asia, a gathering where poetry or classical music is performed for a small audience in an intimate setting.
The entire mehfil was babbling away but Bahadur's tense silence rang like an alarm in my head.
1997, Kiran Nagarkar, Cuckold, HarperCollins, published 2013, page 1761 more example
One of the most interesting descriptions in the Muraqqa’ is of the famous mehfils, the literary or musical evenings for which the city was then renowned.
1993, William Dalrymple, City of Djinns, Penguin, published 2004, page 168
Origin
- Arabicمَحْفِل“festive gathering to entertain or praise someone”
- Urduمحفل
- Englishmehfil
From Urdu محفل (mahfil), from Arabic مَحْفِل (maḥfil, “festive gathering to entertain or praise someone”).
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
mehfil. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mehfil
MLA
“mehfil.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mehfil. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mehfil,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mehfil.
Source: mehfil on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.