Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Purdah \Pur"dah\, n. [Per. parda a curtain.]
   A curtain or screen; also, a cotton fabric in blue and white
   stripes, used for curtains. --McElrath.

Source : WordNet®

purdah
     n 1: a state of social isolation [syn: {solitude}]
     2: the traditional Hindu or Muslim system of keeping women
        secluded [syn: {sex segregation}]
     3: a screen used in India to separate women from men or
        strangers