pallu

P3A1L1L1U1
UK/ˈpaluː/

noun

The usually decorated end of a sari that hangs loose when worn.

OriginHindi पल्लू ← Sanskrit पल्ल →
RareFirst used 19th c.Scrabble 7
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Meanings

pallu1

nounpallu (plural pallus)

plural pallus

  1. South AsiaThe usually decorated end of a sari that hangs loose when worn.First known use 19th c.

    She had pulled the pallu back over her head and her face.

    1997, Kiran Nagarkar, Cuckold, HarperCollins, published 2013, page 45
    1 more example

    Dressed in a simple grey cotton sari, her head covered with the pallu, she sat on a platform behind a table with a microphone.

    2004, Khushwant Singh, Burial at Sea, Penguin, published 2014, page 116

Pallu2

proper noun

alternative Phallu

  1. biblicalA son of Reuben according to Genesis 46:9, Exodus 6:14 and Numbers 26:5. He was one of the 70 souls to migrate to Egypt with Jacob.

Pallu3

nounPallu (uncountable)
  1. uncountableA genre of satirical Tamil poetry dealing with the life of a farmer and his wives and landlord.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
aanchal

Origin

pallu · noun

  1. Sanskritपल्ल
  2. Hindiपल्लू
  3. Englishpallu

Borrowed from Hindi पल्लू (pallū), from पल्ला (pallā, “side”), from Sanskrit पल्ल (palla). Compare with palla.

More words from Hindi, Sanskrit

Full word history & related roots →

Pallu · noun

  1. Tamilபள்ளு
  2. EnglishPallu

Tamil பள்ளு (paḷḷu)

More words from Tamil

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Paullpulla
Cite this entry
APA

pallu. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pallu

MLA

“pallu.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pallu. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pallu,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pallu.

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