Meanings
plural nautches
- BangladeshIndiaNepalPakistanSouth AsiaSri LankahistoricalobsoleteA dance in the Indian subcontinent, performed by professional dancing girls.First known use 18th c.
‘We will punish no one, no one,’ he repeated, ‘and in the evening we will give a great banquet with a nautch, and lovely girls shall shine on every side of the tank […].’
1924, EM Forster, A Passage to India, Penguin, published 2005, page 65
Synonyms & antonyms
nounan intricate traditional dance in India performed by professional dancing girls
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Sanskritनृत्य
- Sauraseni Prakrit𑀡𑀘𑁆𑀘
- Urduناچ
- Hindiनाच
- Englishnautch
Borrowed from Hindustani (Hindi नाच (nāc) / Urdu ناچ (nāc)), in turn derived from Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀡𑀘𑁆𑀘 (ṇacca), ultimately derived from Sanskrit नृत्य (nṛtya), which was originally नृत्त (nṛttá) (also see नृत्यति (nṛtyati, “to dance”)).
More words from Hindi, Urdu, Sauraseni Prakrit
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Sounds the same
Cite this entry
nautch. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nautch
“nautch.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nautch. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nautch,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nautch.
Source: nautch on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.