Word origins

• alThe Indian mulberry, Morinda citrifolia, especially as used to make dye.
• harryTo plunder, pillage, assault.
• damA structure placed across a flowing body of water to stop the flow or part of the flow, generally for purposes such as retaining or diverting some of the water or retarding the release of accumulated water to avoid abrupt flooding.
• SinghA surname from Punjabi.
• tongaA light, two-wheeled, horse-drawn carriage used for transportation in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
• sheilaA woman.
• RajasthanA state in northwestern India, created in 1949 and replacing the former province of Rajputana. Capital and largest city: Jaipur.
• mothAny flying insect of the order Lepidoptera not in the superfamily Papilionoidea, most species of which are nocturnal and can be distinguished from butterflies by feather-like antennae.
• tatCheap and vulgar tastelessness; sleaze.
• dumcooked with steam
• BiharA state in eastern India. Capital and largest city: Patna.
• solaA surname.
• sabhaa public meeting, assembly, or organized group
• sarkarAn administrative unit used mostly in the Muslim states of South Asia.
• bundA league or confederacy; especially the confederation of German states.
• BareillyA city, district, and division in northern Uttar Pradesh, India.
• vinaA surname from Spanish.
• SandeepA male given name from Hindi; variant forms Sandip, Sundeep, used in India.
• BihariOf, from or pertaining to Bihar or the Biharis.
• haveliA type of private mansion in India and Pakistan.
• jatA member of a people of northwestern India and Pakistan.
• prashantA croissant.
• PriyankaA female given name from Hindi.
• kathaThe recitation of a Hindu religious story.
• dalalA broker; a middleman.
• shastriSomeone who teaches the shastras.
• ayahA South Asian female servant, maid or nanny, historically, often one working for Europeans in South Asia.
• sunnAn East Indian leguminous plant of species Crotalaria juncea, yielding a fiber.
• dungareesHeavy denim pants or trousers, usually with bib and braces, worn especially as work clothing.
• bazaAny of three species of small, crested hawks in the genus Aviceda.
• pukkaGenuine or authentic; hence of behaviour: correct, socially acceptable or proper.
• tawaA frying pan or griddle.
• swarajself-rule
• SurajA male given name from Hindi used by Hindus.
• palasA tree of eastern India and Burma, Butea monosperma.
• shareefmeek, gentle, gentlemanly, upstanding, innocent
• AvinashA male given name from Hindi.
• SheelaA female given name from Sanskrit of Indian origin.
• choliA short-sleeved blouse worn under a sari; an Indian underbodice.
• thaliA round metal platter used to serve food in India.
• nawabA Muslim official in South Asia acting as a provincial deputy ruler under the Mughal empire; a local governor.
• KonkaniA member of the indigenous peoples of the Konkan coast of India.
• Nehraa surname of the Jat community found in Haryana, northwest Rajasthan
• tocoCorporal punishment; chastisement; beatings.
• BagheeraThe deputy leader of a pack of Cub Scouts.
• poonamA sari made of imported polyester, as opposed to a traditional cotton sari.
• sarangiA bowed string instrument used in the Hindustani classical music of North India.
• purohitA family priest.
• wallahA servant or other person responsible for something, often specified before it, for example kitchen wallah.
• ryotA farmer or tiller of the soil.
• chintzyOf or decorated with chintz.
• chotaSmall; younger.
• baelA tropical fruit tree from India, Aegle marmelos.
• DikshitA surname, of Indian origin
• rangoliA geometric or stylized design on the floor (or other flat surface) made using small coloured granules, powder or flowers.
• kumkumA red powder, made from saffron or turmeric, used ceremonially by Hindu women to make various markings on the body, especially the tilak.
• SundeepA male given name from Hindi, variant of Sandeep, used in India.
• ojhaA sorcerer or folk healer in parts of India and Nepal.
• rokoA type of protest in which transport is disrupted.
• gurryA circular gong that was struck at regular intervals to indicate the time.
• sabziAny green vegetable.
• nupurAn anklet.
• SwadeshA male given name from Sanskrit.
• aloo chaatAn Indian dish of diced potatoes spiced with chilli, cumin, chaat masala, chutney and coriander.
• ankusThe hooked goad that is used in India to control elephants.
• bababadalgharaghtakamminarronnkonnbronntonnerronntuonnthunntrovarrhounawnskawntoohoohoordenenthurnukRepresenting a protracted sound of thundering or crashing.
• bal-chatriA trap for catching hunting birds, consisting of a cage with bait and a slip noose.
• BambaiyyaOf or pertaining to Bombay.
• barasinghaRucervus duvaucelii, a deer that lives in South Asia.
• bejutapautA cotton material from India.
• besraA bird of prey of southern Asia, Accipiter virgatus.
• bharalA blue sheep, being any species of the genus Pseudois, goatlike bovids of the Himalayas and western China with a bluish-grey coat; Himalayan blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur).
• BholenathThe god Shiva, in his aspect as the lord of innocence.
• bobberyA squabble; a tumult; a noisy disturbance.
• bobbery-bobOh dear! Alas! Good lord!
• budgerowA kind of large river barge.
• butchaThe young of any animal.
• callipattyA kind of cotton cloth from India.
• cauzeeA judge, a qazi
• ChadpreetAn attractive man of South Asian heritage.
• ChampissageA form of Indian head massage, supposed to release pent-up negative energies.
• chaukidarA watchman; a guard.
• chirettaA kind of felwort, Swertia chirata (syn. Agathotes chirayta), found in northern India, esteemed as a tonic and febrifuge.
• chota pegA half-sized serving of whisky.
• churelIn Hindu folklore, the ghost of a woman who died during childbirth, pregnancy; or a witch.
• cotiaA fast-sailing vessel, with two masts and lateen sails, employed on the Malabar coast.
• dak bungalowA posthouse of the old Indian postal service (dak), used as lodging by itinerant British officials and other travellers and as a make-shift courthouse in rural areas.
• dhat syndromeA condition found in the cultures of the Indian subcontinent in which male patients report that they suffer from premature ejaculation or impotence and believe that they are passing semen in their urine.
• dhobyingThe washing of clothes; laundry
• double ka meethaAn Indian bread pudding made from fried bread slices soaked in hot milk with spices including saffron and cardamom.
• dumdumA soft-nosed or hollow point bullet, or a lead bullet incised on the tip with a cross, which expands on impact to cause a greater than normal wound or impact site.
• eve-teasingsexual harassment of women by men
• ghagraA long ornamented skirt or petticoat, tightened with a drawstring and often hung with bells, worn in Rajasthan and other parts of India.
• ghoomTo hunt for animals by stealth in an area where they are likely to be found on the move.
• gobarDried cow dung used directly as fuel or as a source of gas.
• gold mohurThe fabaceous flowering plant Caesalpinia pulcherrima.
• gori memA white woman.
• JatiaA North Indian ethnonym derived from the Hindi word जटिया (jaṭiyā).
• jhalaIn Hindustani classical music, the fast-paced conclusion of a raga, often characterized by the overwhelming of the melodic component by the rhythmic component.
• jildiQuickly.