hartal

H4A1R1T1A1L1
UK/ˈhɑː.tɑːl/

noun

the closure of shops and offices, typically as a strike.

OriginHindi हड़ताल ← Gujarati હડતાળ →
RareFirst used early 20th C.Scrabble 9
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Meanings

nounhartal (plural hartals)

plural hartals · alternative hadtal

  1. MalaysiaSouth Asiathe closure of shops and offices, typically as a strike.First known use early 20th C.

    The eight-month-long hadtal and the accompanying hijrat or exodus reflect the collective strength of the Mahajan and their capacity to mobilize and organize.

    2005, Acyuta Yājñika, Suchitra Sheth, The Shaping of Modern Gujarat: Plurality, Hindutva, and Beyond
    2 more examples

    There were slight disturbances in Karachi and Bombay city, a hartal in Bombay city similar to the last one but probably helped by the news of Tilak's death, […]

    1974, Judith M. Brown, Gandhi's Rise to Power: Indian Politics 1915-1922, page 305

    One of the special characteristics of Bangladesh politics is hartal politics, a legacy of tactics of political agitation, which was used, in pre-partition India […]

    2004, Salahuddin Ahmed, Bangladesh: Past and Present, page 34

Origin

  1. Gujaratiહડતાળ
  2. Hindiहड़ताल
  3. Englishhartal

Borrowed, via Hindi हड़ताल (haṛtāl), from Gujarati હડતાળ (haḍtāḷ), હડતાલ (haḍtāl), literally “locking of shops”.

More words from Hindi, Gujarati

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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