English words from Hindi
6 English words with Hindi in their history, whether borrowed directly or passed on through other languages.
bungalow
It is borrowed from Hindi बंगला (baṅglā), literally “of Bengal”, used for a house in the Bengal style. Etymonline gives Gujarati bangalo as the immediate source.
juggernaut
It is borrowed from Hindi जगन्नाथ (Jagannāth, “lord of the world”), a title of Krishna, from Sanskrit जगन्नाथ (Jagannātha, “lord of the world”), from jagat “world” + nātha “lord, protector”. The…
khaki
It is borrowed from Hindi ख़ाकी (xākī, “dusty”) or Urdu khākī, from khāk “dust”, a word of Persian origin.
pundit
It is borrowed from Hindi पंडित (paṇḍit, “learned man”), from Sanskrit पण्डित (paṇḍita, “learned; scholar”), a word of uncertain origin, perhaps Dravidian.
shampoo
It is probably borrowed from Hindi चाँपो (cā̃po), imperative of Hindi चाँपना (cā̃pnā, “to press, knead”), via Anglo-Indian shampoo. Etymonline suggests that the Hindi word is perhaps from Sanskrit…
thug
It is borrowed from Hindi ठग (ṭhag, “cheat, thief”), perhaps from Sanskrit स्थग (sthaga, “cunning, fraudulent”), from sthagayati “he conceals”. Etymonline also cites Marathi thag “cheat, swindler”.