balti

B3A1L1T1I1
UK/ˈbɔːl.ti/

noun

A large iron pan having two handles, especially used in Pakistani cuisine

UncommonScrabble 7

Meanings

balti1

nounbalti (countable and uncountable, plural baltis)

plural baltis

  1. countableuncountableA large iron pan having two handles, especially used in Pakistani cuisine
  2. uncountableA style of curry traditionally cooked in a balti pan, typically stir-fried and served with a relatively dry sauce.

    For in time, balti became an enduring British cultural entity all of its own—even as Jim Davidson and his fellow bullies lapsed into obscurity.

    2021, Otto English, Fake History, page 136
  3. countableA dish cooked in this style.

Balti2

adjectiveBalti (not comparable)
  1. not comparableOf, from or relating to Baltistan.

    Like most Balti homes, this one has no chimney, since heat would escape and fuel is scarce.

    1987 October, Galen Rowell, “Baltistan: The 20th Century Comes to Shangri-la”, in National Geographic, volume 172, number 4, page 536
nounBalti (plural Baltis or Balti)

plural Baltis

  1. A people who live in Baltistan, Gilgit and Kargil.
proper noun
  1. Their language.

Origin

  1. Urduبالٹی“pail”
  2. Englishbalti

From Urdu بالٹی (baalti, “pail”), originally coined by Birmingham restaurateur Afzal Butt because English people had difficulty pronouncing karahi, the name of the dish used for cooking this food.

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with balti

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Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

balti. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/balti

MLA

“balti.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/balti. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “balti,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/balti.

Source: balti on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.