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)

(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

“punkahwallah” in Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary: Based on Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, 7th edition, Springfield, Mass.: G[eorge] & C[harles] Merriam, 1963 (1967 printing), →OCLC.