[Word Powers] Thursday Trivia

This section covers few Indian colloquial words which made it into the English Dictionary.

Updated on December 31st 2008

Mahatma: From Sanskrit mahatman, which means "a great soul".

Vimana: From Sanskrit word vi-mana meaning plane, also referred to the top of the temple tower.

Nadaswaram: From the Tamil word ‘Nagasvaram’; One of the most popular classical instruments of South India and the world's loudest non-brass acoustic instrument.

Dhoti (dowtee) : From Sanskrit dhūnoti, Traditional garment of men in India.

Rupee (roo'pee): From Sanskrit rūpyakam, a silver coin

Sorbet (sawr-bey): From the Turkish (Sherbet)/Urdu/Hindi (Sharbat), a frozen dessert similar to frappé, usually made from fruit juice and having a mushy consistency.

Bhakti (búktee): From Sanskrit word bhakti, means "devotion”.

Agni (Ugnee): God of fire in ancient and traditional India from Sanskrit word ‘Agnih’

Himalaya: From Sanskrit word Himalayah, which means "place of snow".

Purana: From Sanskrit word puranah, which means "ancient, former".

Asura (usûru) : From Sanskrit a-sura, which means "a mighty Lord".

Ashram: Ultimately from Sanskrit āsramah, a religious hermitage

Bhagavad-Gita : From Sanskrit, which means “song of sublime” or “song of god”. Composed about 200 BC and incorporated into the Mahabharata (a Sanskrit epic); contains a discussion between Krishna and the Indian hero Arjuna on human nature and the purpose of life

Pal (pal): From Sanskrit word bhrātā, a friend or close acquaintance.

Asana (aasunu): From Sanskrit āsanam which means “posture” or "to sit", a term describing yoga postures.

Singapore ('singgu`por): via Malay ultimately from Sanskrit Simhapuram, literally "the lion city"

Sinhalese (`sinhu'leez): From Sanskrit Simhala which means "of lions". A native or inhabitant of Sri Lanka.

Satyagraha (satya-GRA-ha): from Sanskrit word satyagraha, which means “insisting on truth”.

Papadum: An important part of Indian cuisine, sometimes described as a papad, cracker or flatbread; From Tamil word ‘Appalam’

Mantra (mantru) : From Tamil word manthiram; Meaning A commonly repeated word or phrase.

Sanskrit (sanskrit): An official language of India although it is now used only for religious purposes. From Sanskrit language word ‘samskrtam’ means "put together, well-formed"





Buddha (bûdu) : From Sanskrit word buddha, which means "awakened,
enlight-ened", one who has achieved a state of perfect enlightenment, this word
does not refer to the founder of Buddhism



Dharma: Basic principles of the cosmos; also: an ancient sage in Hindu
mythol-ogy worshipped as a god by some lower castes;

Karma (kahr-muh): fate or
destiny. From Sanskrit 'karman' which means "work, fate".



Ayurveda (óyur`veydu): From Sanskrit āyurvedah, which means "knowledge of
life”; An ancient medical treatise summarizing the Hindu art of healing and
prolonging life;



Sadhu (saadoo): (Hinduism) An ascetic holy man from Sanksrit word ‘sādhu’

Anaconda
(an-uh-KON-duh) - possibly from a Tamil word for 'Aanai Kondan', or Elephant
killer. Most dictionaries give origin from Sinhalese henakaňdayā, "whip
snake".



Teak (teek) (Tamil, Malayalam) – From the word “thekku”. Hard strong
wood of teak tres, used for furniture and in shipbuilding.



Cushy (koosh-ee) : meaning easy, happy, soft is originally taken
from Urdu word ‘khushi’



Cot (kót) (Hindi): A small bed that folds up for storage or
transport from Hindi word ‘khāt’

Shampoo (shaam’poo) (Hindi) – The process of washing your hair with a cleansing agent consisting of soaps or detergents from the Hindi word ‘Champu’ – a scalp massage.

Teapoy (Hindi) – From Tipaya, a three legged stool.

Cash (kash) (Tamil) – This word also refers to any of various small coins used in southern India and China, comes ultimately from Tamil word ‘kaasu’

Bandicoot (’bandu’koot) (Telugu) – From Telugu word “pandikoku”. Any of the various agile rat-like terrestrial marsupials of Australia and adjacent islands;

Coir (koyr) (Malayalam) – From the Malayalam word Kayar; Stiff coarse fiber from the outer husk of a coconut.

Juggernaut (‘júgu`nort) (Sanskrit) – Through Hindi jagannath from Sanskrit jagat-natha-s, which means “lord of the world”

Mulligatawny (`múligu’tornee) (Tamil) – A curry-flavored soup; 'mulagu' (pepper) and 'thanni' (water) - basically it is a rasam as we all know it.

Jute (joot) (Sanskrit) – A plant fiber used in making rope or sacks; From juta-s which means “twisted hair”.

Purdah (purdu) (From Urdu) –The traditional Hindu or Muslim system of keeping women secluded.

Loot (loot) (Hindi) – From the Hindi word lutna. Goods or money obtained illegally

Cheroot (shu’root) (Tamil) – From Tamil curuttu; A cigar with both ends cut flat

Chit (chit) (Marathi) – The bill in a restaurant

Copra (kópru) (Malayalam) – From the Malayalam word koppara “Coconut’s kernel” or Telugu word kobbera or Tamil kopparai. The dried meat of the coconut from which oil is extracted.

Nirvana (nir’vaanu) (Hindi) – From the word nirvan; “A state of perfect happiness”.

Curry (kari) (Tamil origin) – From the word kari in Tamil; A heavily spiced sauce or relish made with curry powder and eaten with rice, meat, fish or other food.

Cheetah (cheetu) (Sanskrit) – from Hindi chita "a leopard", from Sanskrit chitraka, which means "speckled"; long legged, wild cat.

Pariah (pu'rIu) (Tamil) – From Tamil word, Paraiyan; A person who is rejected from society.

Guru(Sanskrit): a teacher, a guide or mentor.

Catamaran (‘katumu’ran) (Tamil) – A raft made of wood.

Jungle (júnggul) (Sanskrit) – through Hindi jangal "a desert, forest" ultimately from Sanskrit jangala-s, which means "arid".

Bungalow (‘búnggu‘low) (Bungla-Urdu) –A small house with a single story.