punkahwallah

English

/ˈpʌŋkəˌwɒlə/, /ˈpʌŋkəˌwɑlə/

noun
Definitions
  • (South Asia) A servant who operates a punkah, large, especially cloth, fan suspended from the ceiling.

Etymology

Borrowed from Hindi पंखावाला affix from English punkah + English wallah.

Origin

English

wallah

Gloss

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

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Cognates and derived terms