خواہ مخواہ

Urdu

Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Persian خواه م‌خواه (xʷāh ma-xʷāh, literally “willing (or) unwilling, willy-nilly”). Compare Bengali খামাখা (khamakha).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Urdu) IPA^(key): /xɑːʱ.mə.xɑːɦ/, /xʷɑːʱ.mə.xʷɑːɦ/
• (colloquial) IPA^(key): /xwɑː.mə.xwɑː/, /xɑː.mə.xɑː/

Adverb

خواہ مَخواہ • (xāh-maxāh) (Hindi spelling खामखा)

1. uncalled for, without reason, justification, provocation
2. certainly, positively, absolutely, inevitably

Derived terms

• خواہ مخواہی (xāh-maxāhī)