Tracing The Roots Of 25 English Words With Entirely Indian Origins
Homegrown , inspired by the Hobson- Jobson list, curated a list of their own which had English words with Hindustani language origins.
This piece was previously posted about an year and a half ago but didn’t do so well when analysed. Hence, we wanted to give the content a new visual language and create illustrations that would attract traffic as well as communicate the words.
It was a series of 5 illustrations.
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Bungalow from Bangla [Hindi]
Dating back to the 17th century when one-storey cottage-like houses were built in Bengal for early European settlers, the source of the common English term bungalow can be traced to the Hindi word bangla, which literally means Bengalese, implying a house built in the Bengal style.
Candy < Sucre Candi [French] < Qandi [Persian] < Khanda [Sanskrit]
Sweet-enthusiasts munching down on crystallised sugar might never know that that candy has travelled a long way, in terms of the roots of its origin. Starting from the Sanskrit khanda, another word for sugar, it journeyed to Persia where it became qandi, meaning cane sugar. Making its way to France, old French refers to sugar candy as sucre candi, which then became candy in English.
Cashmere from Kashmir
Those soft, smooth shawls with intricate designs in various colours find their name dating back to the 1680s, christened by the old spelling of the Himalayan state Kashmir, where wool for this garment came from long-haired goats.
Shampoo from Champo [Hindi]
Champo, which means to squeeze, knead or massage, acts as the basis of the hair product shampoo’s name, which first emerged in the English language in the 18th century.
Chutney from Chutni [Hindi]
This thick, pickled condiment entered the English language in the 19th century referring to a finger-licking accompaniment to food, derived from the Hindi word chatni which means just about the same thing as the English chutney.
Pyjama from Payjamah [Hindi]
While English has appropriated the word pyjama, used popularly to describe loose-fitting sleeping attire, it originates from the Hindi term payjamah where pay means leg and jamah means clothing.
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