Thread: A Lexicon of English Words From (mostly) Hindi

These are all words that have been imported into the English language due to the British occupation of the South Asian subcontinent and Burma. This list isn't exhaustive; on occasion I'll be surprised to see that another common word is actually derived from Hindi.

In the order that they occur to me:

thug

from Hindi thuggee: also from Hindi thag, meaning thief. A type of highway robbery that was at one time prevalent in India, eradicated in the first half of the 19th century by the British. Erroneously thought to be associated with the fierce Hindu protector goddess Kali, it was in reality practiced by many groups and by Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs alike.

punch (in the sense of a cold mixed drink)

from Hindi paantsch, meaning five: The English name for the drink is due to the original punch containing five ingredients (3 of which were alcoholic.)

pajama

from Hindi pajyama: A type of loose pants traditionally worn with a loose shirt (a salwar) by both sexes in South and Central Asia. The British adopted them as sleepwear.

shampoo

from Hindi shampoo, meaning to press: Originally referred to a type of invigorating massage. I'm guessing that this term somehow got associated with the hair cleanser by means of the massaging technique by which the shampoo is applied to the scalp.

compound (in the sense of a enclosed group of buildings)

from Malay kampung, meaning a village or group of buildings.

juggernaut

from the Sanskrit Jagganath, meaning "Lord of the Universe": A particular image of Krishna, a popular avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu. The main temple devoted to Jagganth is in Puri, where annually a gigantic chariot carrying an image of the god is pulled through the streets. On occasion, the chariot would go out of control, causing some unfortunate accidents; hence, the meaning of the English word.

Incidentally, Jagganath is one ugly mo-fo...

Jagganath