langar

L1A1N1G2A1R1
UK/ˈlʌŋɡə/

noun

A public eating-place in South Asia, now especially a communal kitchen run by a Sikh community and serving free food.

OriginHindi लंगर ← Punjabi ਲੰਗਰ ← Classical Persian لنگر →
RareFirst used 19th c.Scrabble 7
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Meanings

langar1

nounlangar (countable and uncountable, plural langars)

plural langars

  1. SikhismcountableA public eating-place in South Asia, now especially a communal kitchen run by a Sikh community and serving free food.First known use 19th c.

    While many hungry people go to the langars in Delhi's gurudwaras, or in Birmingham, or the two in Queens, New York, because the food is good and free, there's a decidedly political dimension […]

    2016, Sunil Khilnani, Incarnations, Penguin, published 2017, page 98
  2. uncountableThe free food served at such a place.

Langar2

proper noun
  1. A village in Langar cum Barnstone parish, Rushcliffe borough, Nottinghamshire, England (OS grid ref SK7234).

Origin

  1. Classical Persianلنگر“public eating-place attached to Sufi shrine”
  2. Punjabiਲੰਗਰ“public kitchen, almshouse”
  3. Hindiलंगर
  4. Englishlangar

From Hindi लंगर (laṅgar), Punjabi ਲੰਗਰ (laṅgar, “public kitchen, almshouse”), and their source, Classical Persian لنگر (langar, “public eating-place attached to Sufi shrine”). Doublet of anchor.

More words from Hindi, Punjabi, Classical Persian

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with langar

youngerhungermongerair hunger
All rhymes →

Anagrams

raglanLargangranal
Cite this entry
APA

langar. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/langar

MLA

“langar.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/langar. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “langar,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/langar.

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