Made in India

Made in India, mostly

 (though Hindi is spoken in many places)

Hindi has given English speakers some great words.

The word loot arrived in English in 1849 from a Hindi word meaning booty or stolen property. Hindi speakers got this word from Sanskrit.

In HIndi, a payndit is a learned master or teacher. By the 1670s, this word oozed into English as pundit, a person who offers opinions in an authoritative manner.

Pajamas (& pyjamas) came to English in 1800 from a Hindi word meaning loose trousers tied at the waist. Pajamas came to Hindi from a Persian word meaning leg clothing. 

In 1851 bloke arrived in English. Etymologists haven’t nailed down its source, but the two frontrunners are a Celtic word meaning a large, stubborn person, & a Hindi word meaning a man.

Hindi speakers got the word kamarband from Persian, which by 1610 made its way to English as cummerbund, a loose sash worn as a belt.

Bandana made its way to English in 1752 from a Hindi word referring to a method of dying. This word came from a Sanskrit word meaning bind — apparently the method of dying in question was something like our modern tie-dye.

In 1859 the word nark or narc came to English — an informer. Its most likely source is a Romany word which came from a Hindi word meaning nose.

The punch that refers to a type of mixed drink appears to have come from the Hindi word for the number five — reportedly the number of ingredients in the first punch. This particular meaning of punch came to English in the 1630s.

The word cot, a small, light, bed, first appeared in English in the 1630s from a Hindi word meaning couch or hammock.

In 1915, the Hindi word meaning pleasant, happy, & healthy, gave us the word cushy. Interestingly, it has no relationship to the word cushion.

We English speakers probably owe a thank you note to the Hindi-speaking world. For which of these words do you feel most grateful?

My thanks go out to this week’s sources, Merriam Webster, Collins Dictionary,  Etymonline,  & Wordnik.