Arabic · noun · Poetry, Speech & Art

Ihaam

ईहाम
said ee-haam
also written: Iham
Meaning

A rhetorical device of deliberate ambiguity: a word with two senses is used so the listener first grasps the obvious, nearer sense while the poet intends the remoter, farther one.

Usage & notes

A prized ornament of classical ghazal that rewards the attentive reader with a hidden second sense.