nautanki

N1A1U1T1A1N1K5I1
UK/nɔːˈtaŋki/

noun

A type of Indian folk theatre, based on folklore and mythological dramas with interludes of song and dance.

OriginHindi नौटंकी →
First used 20th c.Scrabble 12
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Meanings

nounnautanki (countable and uncountable, plural nautankis)

plural nautankis

  1. uncountableA type of Indian folk theatre, based on folklore and mythological dramas with interludes of song and dance.First known use 20th c.

    ‘Let your men make sure that this is done when no marriage party or nautanki troupe is in the vicinity.’

    1997, Kiran Nagarkar, Cuckold, HarperCollins, published 2013, page 25
  2. countableAn individual performance of this kind.

Origin

  1. Hindiनौटंकी
  2. Englishnautanki

Borrowed from Hindi नौटंकी (nauṭaṅkī), from the title of a play based on a Multani folktale, ‘The Musical Drama of Queen Nautanki’.

More words from Hindi

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

nautanki. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nautanki

MLA

“nautanki.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nautanki. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nautanki,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nautanki.

Source: nautanki on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.