# Urdu: یخ



## panjabigator

Greetings:

From Platts:





> P يخ _yaḵẖ_ [Pārsī _yah_; Zend _iśi_], s.m. Ice:—_yaḵẖ-basta_, adj. Ice-bound, frozen.



I'm interested to know how this word is used in Urdu.  How is it different from برف.  Also, does standard Urdu place a _sukoon_ above the re?


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## Faylasoof

We can use یخ بستہ in more than one way but often it is used for icy wind!

کراچی‘ کوئٹہ کی یخ بستہ ہواؤں کی لپیٹ میں 

_Karachi caught in icy winds from Quetta!_ 

  For برف we do have a sukuun one <re> so we say _barf_ and not _baraf_!

One can use both: یخ بستہ ہوا  _yax bastah hawaa_ =  برفیلی ہوا _barfiilii hawaa_

The former is more formal. 

We also use it in یخ بستہ موسم _yax bastah mausam_ (freezing weather):

یخ بستہ موسم اور برف باری سے ڈرائیورز کی مشکلات بڑھ گئیں

_Freezing weather and snow fall increases problems for drivers!_

(Note the use of  ڈرائیورز   instead of  ڈرائیوروں here! )


http://www.jang.net/urdu/details.asp?nid=396594#  … and of course we use the term for frozen water!

مریخ پر یخ بستہ پانی کی تصدیق
 
_Confirmation of frozen water on Mars_


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## akak

My father likes to use it in hyperbole: _"Yeh khana bilkul yakh-basta hai"_


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## panjabigator

akak said:


> My father likes to use it in hyperbole: _"Yeh khana bilkul yakh-basta hai"_



Does he mean it's freezing cold (i.e., he wants it reheated or freshly prepared) or does this refer to food just removed from the fridge?


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## akak

panjabigator said:


> Does he mean it's freezing cold (i.e., he wants it reheated or freshly prepared) or does this refer to food just removed from the fridge?


 
Food that's not piping hot.


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## BP.

_yakh_-[extremely] cold. _basta_-closed, from the verb _bastan_-close/lock up.

When you ask for a chilled drink, you ask for a _yakh mashruub_.

There is a slight issue with the derivation of a noun from _yakh_. The obvious derivative, _yakhnii_, means something else. So we contend ourselves with _yakh bastagii_, or synonyms like _khunkii_. FYI, Pashto uses _yakhnii _to mean cold, and this can lead to a quite amusing scene in a multilingual gathering!


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## panjabigator

> The obvious derivative, _yakhnii_, means something else.





> FYI, Pashto uses _yakhnii _to mean cold, and this can lead to a quite amusing scene in a multilingual gathering!



What does _yakhnii_ mean?  And can I get some more info on the amusing scene you write of?


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## tonyspeed

yakhnee from what i gather means broth...correct me if i'm wrong


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## BP.

panjabigator said:


> What does _yakhnii_ mean?  And can I get some more info on the amusing scene you write of?



It happened once when two people were completely misunderstanding each other, one using this term for _soup _and the other for _cold_. The looks on their faces from there on till realization dawned, were priceless!


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## Qureshpor

Essentially "yaKh" is ice and "barf" is "snow" but in Punjabi and Urdu etc, I don't think there is always a clear distinction made.


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## BP.

^Do you have a reference to support what you're saying there?

If it were so then _aab-e yakh _would have meant ice not cold water. And we couldn't have asked for a _barf kaa muk3ab_ (an ice cube) if barf was soft, mushy snow.


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## panjabigator

For _barf kaa muk3ab, _in my house we say برف کی ڈلی.


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## Qureshpor

BelligerentPacifist said:


> ^Do you have a reference to support what you're saying there?
> 
> If it were so then _aab-e yakh _would have meant ice not cold water. And we couldn't have asked for a _barf kaa muk3ab_ (an ice cube) if barf was soft, mushy snow.



Please read my initial reply again. Yes, I do have a reference to support this. Please refer to enteries under barf and yaKh in Steingass's Persian English dictionary.

Qureshpor


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## BP.

The entry for yakh does support your definition, however it was your job to provide us with it

I feel the meaning has shifted from the time the dictionary was compiled, at least with us.


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## Qureshpor

BelligerentPacifist said:


> The entry for yakh does support your definition, however it was your job to provide us with it
> 
> I feel the meaning has shifted from the time the dictionary was compiled, at least with us.



My understanding of the law is that the prosecution has to prove the case, not the defence


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