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Aurat means a "woman" or a "wife" in Urdu and Hindi languages. In some countries such as Indonesia, aurat means "awrah" or "body parts" (also nakedness). The nomenclature "aurat" is used in many Asian languages including Arabic, Azerbaijani & Iranian Azeri (arvad), Bengali, Hindi, Persian, Punjabi, (Ottoman) Turkish (avret) and Indonesian.

Etymology and socio-cultural construct
Word Aurat comes from Arabic word 'awrah' transforming 'awrah' to → 'awrat'. In Arabic, the words awrah or awrat denotes defectiveness, imperfection, blemish, weakness, genitalia, loins, private parts, pudendum flaw, defect, and fault. The word is used in Quran to mean "privacy", "vulnerable" and "nakedness" among the other meanings stated earlier. Aharôn Layiš' book on family laws among Druz attributes a quote to one al-Tanukhi that says "..Women are all nakedness (awrat) and all nakedness should be covered" As per Moshe Piamenta in his book "Islam in Everyday Arabic Speech", notes that in bedouin language, synecdochic usage of word 'awrat' denotes 'woman'. In Kurdish language word 'Aurat' for women is spelled as 'avarat' where as in Turkish language it is spelled as 'Avret'

Before entering South Asia, in the past, it was used in Farsi i.e. Persian language in Iran to mean 'woman'. Mohammad Moin's Persian dictionary, awrah notes two different meanings: nakedness and a young woman. But subsequently Iranians started avoiding word Aurat for 'women' considering the same used to mean 'nakedness' too. In (Ottoman) Turkish word 'avret' was used more for common married or adult women, where as word hatun was used for more respected women. In ottoman times any unmarried adolescent girl was called kiz and her silence was assumed as consent for marriage purposes but they were mobility wise freer and less controlled un till marriage but once married and considered Avret their mobility and sexuality came under drastic social control so as they would not engage in adultery to preserve male right of linage and patriarchal honor. In modern Turkish since twentieth century use of word avret got limited to intimate body parts.

In South Asia word Aurat is more often used to mean woman or wife in Urdu and Hindi languages. With Islamic conceptual leanings believing in entire physical being and existence of  a woman to be "Aurat" needs to be covered and restricted from stranger male gaze, the concept developed  requisitioning "Aurats"  to follow elaborate customary protocols which included  "Aurat" had to be hidden with utmost body covering from public and public spaces as much as possible; and many women  believing the narrative that it is  divine  injunction to be followed and hence internalizing religious and customary expectations adopted clothing styles like Chunri (dupatta), Pallu, Ghunghat stoles that could be adjustable and helpful in hiding their hair, breasts and even eyes if needed; the kurta and the gharara, shalwar kameez or Saris; Nikab or Burqas for more conservative Muslim women, besides curtains called Purdah which not only to segregate and being invisible  from men at home but historically  purdah custom could accompany  in public spaces if needed for example a woman would walk behind Mard (husband) so chance of getting stranger male gaze will be lesser or in transport or  recreation facilities or courts a physical Purdah (curtain) would be maintained to segregate them from stranger males; but given the fact that female voice also being "Aurat" for extreme conservative usually a Purdahnashin (Purdah following) "Aurat" need not go or interact in public spaces as much as possible, even their name need not be mentioned but be referred as daughter, sister, wife, mother of so and so. The honor of being izzatdar (honorable) would be reserved for "Aurats" who followed strict Purdah seclusion system along with strict modesty etiquette and also moral codes of chastity demanding strict loyalty to one's own husband. In this social construct by default, an Aurat has to be Pak Aurat (i.e. pure & pious Aurat) and not being so is demeaned as 'Napak (impure/impios Aurat). Another side of the same coin would be those "Aurats" who would not come upon expectations of all the strict social distancing with 'stranger men' of Purdah system, would likely be demeaned and many times punished in various ways considering them to be too independent or shameless.

Hindi language author Rajendra Yadav criticizes limitations of Indian social construct wherein, on one hand, Indian society remembers and respects woman's upper body as a mother - 'Naari' - even to a level of a goddess, but when thinks of lower part sexualizes as Aurat and attempts to control that sexuality.

Objections
Malays debated the appropriateness of the word "Aurat" in the 1930s. Mona Hassan at The Nation has objected to the use of the word due to its etymology, saying south Asian men equate women to honor and shame connecting ultimate reference to woman's breasts and vagina and attempt to control the same as part of their honor other wise they feel shamed, Islamic interpretations and practices widely differ in how much part of Aurat (i.e.Woman) body constitute to be intimate, liberal interpretations limiting to best possible to conservative interpretations can even include woman's voice and social existence, this process of thinking leads to culture of women seclusion  from public life and subjugation and violation of their human rights.

According to Anjali Bagwe, in south Asia women are distinguished as "Aurat Jat" (of women caste) in an internalized patriarchal sense which presumes women can't be equal to men and tend to be inferior. Those women who attempt any course other than misogynist patriarchal expectations are labeled stereotyped as 'Napak Aurat' (impious woman) and discriminated against.

In popular culture
An art exhibition of 11 women artists named "Pakistani Aurat Kay Naam" was held in Nomad Art Gallery, on Pakistan's national women's day 12 February 2011.