koftgari means ornamental work produced by inlaying steel with gold; a variety of damascening common in Indian art. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
Why “koftgari” is a great word
KOFTGARI — [Noun] Ornamental work produced by inlaying steel with gold, a variety of damascening common in Indian art. From Hindi कोफ्तगरी (koftgarī), from Persian کوفتگری (koftgarī), from کوفتن (kuftan, "to beat, to hammer") + the agent suffix ـگر (-gar, "doer, maker") + the abstract noun suffix ـی (-ī). Unlike "damascene," which broadly denotes Middle Eastern inlay with flowing patterns, or "niello," which fills engraved channels with black enamel, koftgari is the specific, patient embedding of precious wire into ferrous ground. It is the meticulous hammer-tap that seats a filament of sun into a blade's dark spine, the slow conquest of utility by opulence on a dagger's hilt, and the silent, enduring marriage of soft gold to unforgiving steel—a testament that adornment is a form of argument against utility.
Etymology
From Hindi [Term?] (“gold-beating”), from Persian [Term?], from کوفتن (kuftan, “to beat”) + ـگر (-gar) + ـی (-i).
noun
- Ornamental work produced by inlaying steel with gold; a variety of damascening common in Indian art.