punkahwallah

English

Alternative forms

punkah wallah

Etymology

Borrowed from Hindi पंखावाला (paṅkhāvālā); also analyzable within English as punkah +‎ wallah.

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈpʌŋkəˌwɒlə/
(General American) IPA^(key): /ˈpʌŋkəˌwɑlə/

Noun

punkahwallah (plural punkahwallahs)

(South Asia) A servant who operates a punkah (type of fan).

Translations

boy who operates a punkah

French: punka (fr), panka (fr), panca (fr) m
Hindi: पंखावाला m (paṅkhāvālā)
Urdu: پنکھا والا m (paṅkhā vālā)

References

Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, Springfield, Massachusetts, G.&C. Merriam Co., 1967

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