[syn: purdah, sex segregation]
3.  a screen used in India to separate women from men or strangers; 
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
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.
   [1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
purdah
    n 1: a state of social isolation [syn: solitude, purdah]
    2: the traditional Hindu or Muslim system of keeping women
       secluded [syn: purdah, sex segregation]
    3: a screen used in India to separate women from men or
       strangers