punkahwallah
English edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from Hindi पंखावाला (paṅkhāvālā); also analyzable within English as punkah + wallah.
Pronunciation edit
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈpʌŋkəˌwɒlə/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈpʌŋkəˌwɑlə/
Noun edit
punkahwallah (plural punkahwallahs)
- (South Asia) A servant who operates a punkah (type of fan).
Translations edit
boy who operates a punkah
References edit
- Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, Springfield, Massachusetts, G.&C. Merriam Co., 1967