punkahwallah

English

Alternative forms

• punkah wallah

Etymology

Borrowed from Hindi पंखावाला (paṅkhāvālā); also analyzable within English as punkah +‎ wallah.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈpʌŋkəˌwɒlə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈpʌŋkəˌwɑlə/

Noun

punkahwallah (plural punkahwallahs)

1. (South Asia) A servant who operates a punkah (type of fan).

Translations

boy who operates a punkah

• French: punka (fr), panka (fr), panca (fr) m
• Hindi: पंखावाला m (paṅkhāvālā)
• Urdu: پنکھا والا m (paṅkhā vālā)

References

• Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, Springfield, Massachusetts, G.&C. Merriam Co., 1967