Standard Lemma guide

punkahwallah

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈpʌŋkəˌwɒlə/
  • General-American: /ˈpʌŋkəˌwɑlə/

1

noun

Meaning 1

A servant who operates a punkah (type of fan).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: South-Asia

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Hindi पंखावाला (paṅkhāvālā); also analyzable within English as punkah + wallah.

Across languages

Translations

5 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • French: punka — boy who operates a punkah
  • French: panka — boy who operates a punkah
  • French: panca — boy who operates a punkah
  • Hindi: पंखावाला (paṅkhāvālā) — boy who operates a punkah
  • Urdu: پنکھا والا (paṅkhā vālā) — boy who operates a punkah