thumri

T1H4U1M3R1I1

noun

A genre of light classical north Indian music.

Scrabble 11

Meanings

nounthumri (countable and uncountable, plural thumris)

plural thumris

  1. countableuncountableA genre of light classical north Indian music.
  2. countableuncountableAn individual piece of music in this style.

    Like many dancers, Elokeshi had a fine voice and could sing exquisite thumris […]

    2008, Amitav Ghosh, Sea of Poppies, Penguin, published 2015, page 82
    3 more examples

    Subhra Guha's "rendition of the thumri is notable for its rich technique and aesthetic appeal emanating from her immaculate use of bol."

    1992 May 8, Bill Wyman, “Calendar”, in Chicago Reader

    While the three main styles of Hindustani music have common origins and can be played on the some instruments, the dhrupad, which flourished in the 1500s, is less ornamental, more austere and serene than the khayal and the thumri, which evolved about two centuries later; the thumri is the more romantic of those two.

    1994 January 21, Ted Shen, “Lyon Leifer & Nancy Lesh”, in Chicago Reader

    These courtesans sang beautiful tappas and thumris much to the delight of the citizens.

    2015, Tridip Suhrud, translating Govardhanram Madhavram Tripathi, Sarasvatichandra I, Orient BlackSwan 2015, p. 146

Origin

  1. Hindiठुमरी
  2. Englishthumri

From Hindi ठुमरी (ṭhumrī).

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

thumri. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thumri

MLA

“thumri.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thumri. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “thumri,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thumri.

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