Meanings
plural terais · alternative tarai
- A belt of marshy land, which lies between the foothills of the Himalayas and the plains.
Emotions running high, clashes between protesters and police led to the death of at least 40 people in Terai since August – including 11 police officials, one of them dragged out of an ambulance and beaten to death.
2015 September 20, Sugam Pokharel, Salim Essaid, “More than half a century in the making: Nepal enshrines new constitution”, in CNN, archived from the original on 18 Oct 2022 - A terai hat.
Origin
- Classical Persianتر“humid”
- Sanskritतल“level”
- Proto-Indo-Aryan*taras“plain, plateau”
- Prakrit*तलघट्टिका-
- Urduترائی“marsh, foothills”
- Hindiतराई
- Nepaliतराइ
- Englishterai
Borrowed from Nepali तराइ (tarāi) and/or Hindustani (Hindi तराई (tarāī) / Urdu ترائی (tarāī, “marsh, foothills”)), from Prakrit *तलघट्टिका- (*talaghaṭṭikā-), ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-Aryan *taras (“plain, plateau”), possibly related to Sanskrit तल (tala, “level”); cognate to Nepali तराइ (tarāi). Possibly later associated with Classical Persian تر (tar, “humid”).
More words from Nepali, Hindi, Urdu
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with terai
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
terai. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/terai
“terai.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/terai. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “terai,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/terai.
Source: terai on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.