{"id":4021,"date":"2013-10-21T12:51:24","date_gmt":"2013-10-21T12:51:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sterlingholidays.com\/blog\/?p=4021"},"modified":"2025-03-26T06:05:33","modified_gmt":"2025-03-26T06:05:33","slug":"top-ten-english-words-that-originated-in-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sterlingholidays.com\/blog\/top-ten-english-words-that-originated-in-india\/","title":{"rendered":"Top Ten English words that originated in India"},"content":{"rendered":"

India as a country has contributed significantly to the world in every possible field \u00a0\u2013 Science, Literature, Engineering, \u00a0and what not- but a little known contribution of India to the world is Language! Yes, \u00a0several words to the present day English language. Some of these words are so common that most of us use them rather often, and others, you will not believe even originated in India! <\/a><\/strong>So here\u2019s our list of Top Ten:<\/p>\n

10.\u00a0 Punch<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Not the action of punching, but the extremely popular fruit drink \u2018Punch\u2019 is assumed to have originated from the Sanskrit word \u2018Paanch\u2019 meaning the numeral five. Obviously, Punch has five ingredients in it \u2013 Soda, sugar, lemon, water and spices.<\/p>\n

9. Cheetah<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Image

This photo “TanzanianCheetah” @flickr from wikipedia
made available under an Attribution license<\/p><\/div>\n

The name \u2018Cheetah\u2019 was probably taken from the Sanskrit word \u2013 \u2018Chitra\u2019 meaning uniquely marked.\u00a0 Every Cheetah is uniquely marked, with a special lustrous coat that lends the animal \u00a0its breathtaking beauty.<\/p>\n

8. Catamaran<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Image

This photo “Retro-Style Catamaran at Pulicat-Lake-South-India” @wikipedia from cincoutprabu
made available under a Share Alike, Attribution license.<\/p><\/div>\n

The long, narrow and famous kind of boat owes the origin of its name to the Tamil word \u2018Kattumaram\u2019 which also means a boat made of bark. For centuries fishermen have sailed on this old-styled \u2018Kattumaram\u2019 on the ocean and continue to do so, to this day.<\/p>\n

7. Bandana<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Image<\/a>

This photo \u201cRed and blue bandannas\u201d @wikipedia from Felixed
made available under an public domain license.<\/p><\/div>\n

This triangular or rectangular scarf gained popularity across the globe as a fashion statement in the 90s. Little does the world know that Bandana takes its name from the Hindi word \u201cBandhna\u201d which means \u201cto tie\u201d. The word could also have originated from the Tamil word \u2018bandham\u2019 meaning \u2018a bond\u2019.<\/p>\n

6. Mango<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Image

This photo \u201cSindhri Mango\u201d @wikipedia from Khalid Mahmood
made available under a Share Alike, Attribution license.<\/p><\/div>\n

Come summer and the whole world looks forward to the joy of feasting on mangoes, a tropical fruit, especially popular in India. India is also home to the most number of mango varieties in the world. It shouldn\u2019t be surprising that mangoes also got their name from the Tamil word \u201cmaangai\u201d, which refers to raw mangoes.<\/p>\n

5. Khaki<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Surely all Indians know Khakhi is an Indian word, which means the color of dust, but this color has become so popular in the world that international brands use it as a recognized color for clothing and otherwise.<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0 Jaggery<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"This

This photo \u201c20071130_122802<\/a>\u201d @flickr from appaji
made available under an Attribution license<\/p><\/div>\n

This popular substitute for sugar gets its name from the derivation of a Tamil word \u201cSakkarai\u201d which means sugar. Incidentally, Sugar itself originates from the Hindi word for it, \u201cShakkar\u201d.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0 Cash<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"This

This photo \u201cFive Rupee Coin<\/a>\u201d @flickr from Dinesh Cyanam
made available under a Share Alike, Attribution license.<\/p><\/div>\n

Money, money, money. Be it dollars or pounds or the humble Japanese yen, at the end of the day it\u2019s all cash, and cash owes the origin of its name to the Tamil word \u201ckaasu\u201d or coins. The French disagree though, saying that cash is derived from the French word \u201ccaisse\u201d.<\/p>\n

2. \u00a0Juggernaut<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Image<\/a>

This photo \u201cHare Krishna Juggernaut<\/a>\u201d @flickr from
bongo vongo made available under a Share Alike, Attribution license.<\/p><\/div>\n

From the Sanskrit word \u201cJagannath\u201d \u00a0of the Jagannath temple in Puri, Orissa, legend has it that foreigners who visited Puri saw the immensely heavy chariots being pulled during the Rath Yatra festival and went back with \u00a0exaggerated stories of people committing suicide under the wheels of the chariot \u2013making it a metaphor for an immense and unstoppable force.<\/p>\n

\u00a01.\u00a0 Anaconda<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Image

This photo \u201cAnaconda<\/a>\u201d @flickr from
Jeff Kubina made available under a Share Alike, Attribution license.<\/p><\/div>\n

According to famous Herpetologist, Frank Wall, the biggest snake in the world, the \u2018Anaconda\u2019 also had its name originate from India. Anaconda is from Tamil, from the words \u2018Aanai Kondran\u2019 meaning \u201celephant killer\u201d.<\/p>\n

References<\/h3>\n