Meanings
plural bundobusts · alternative bandobast · alternative bandobust
- IndiacountableuncountableA system of discipline; organisation, arrangement, preparation.
He was proud of his faculty of organisation—what we call bundobust.
1888, Rudyard Kipling, “The Arrest of Lieutenant Golightly”, in Plain Tales from the Hills, Folio, published 2005, page 931 more example
‘Hand on my brother whenever suits you. I write to you because he is sure to make a bad bundobust.’
1924, EM Forster, A Passage to India, Penguin, published 2005, page 292
Origin
- Classical Persianبند و بست“tying and binding”
- Hindustani
- Englishbundobust
From Hindustani بند و بست (band-o-bast) / बंदोबस्त (bandobast), from Classical Persian بند و بست (band-u-bast, “tying and binding”).
More words from Hindustani, Classical Persian
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
bundobust. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bundobust
“bundobust.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bundobust. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bundobust,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bundobust.
Source: bundobust on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.