Dictionary of Indian English
Dictionary of Indian English is now available as an Android app.
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Introduction to Indian English
India is a land of great diversity. Kerala is about as different from Tamil Nadu as France is from Britain. Yet, we move on, in part thanks to the English language. Over several decades, the language has acquired a unique flavour of its own in the country. People like to call it "Indian English"; sometimes proudly and sometimes derisively. Indian English is of course not a different language. Nor, does it require a separate standard or dictionary. Yet, we often find that an Oxford or Webster's dictionary is inadequate or incorrect when dealing with certain words or phrases that have changed their meaning or purpose on the Indian soil. And, there are words that are unique to India, such as "prepone," which are not used anywhere else. This Dictionary of Indian English (DIE) hopes to provide a ready reference for such words and phrases. However, this dictionary does not contain English words that have Indian origins but are now part of standard English.
Search Indian English
Indian-English Glossary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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A
aam aadmi, ABCD, adalat, agarbatti, Agmark, ahimsa, air-dash, Akbar Road, almirah, alright, Ambassador, amma, Angrezi, anicut, anna, arranged marriage, ashirvad, ashram, auto, Aya Ram, ayah
B
Baapu, Baba, babu, babu English, babudom, backbencher, background, backside, badla, bahu, bandh, bandobust, banian, bank holiday, Basmati, bata, batchmate, behen, benami, berth, beta, bhadralok, bhagwan, bhai, bhajan, bhaji, bhakti, bidi, bike, bisleri, bits, blade, board exams, bold, Bollywood, Bombaiyya, bonnet, borewell, brinjal, British Raj, broadminded, brokers excuse, Bullet, bund, bungalow, bunk, bureau, bustee, bypoll
C
capitation fees, capsicum, car park, carrying, casteism, casual leave, cent percent, Central government, chaddar, chai, chaiwallah, chakra, challan, chalo, chalta hai, chamcha, Chanakya, chappals, chaprasi, chargesheet, charpoy, chats, checkpost, Chennai, cheri, Chief Secretary, Chiranjeevi, chit, chor, chota, chowk, chowkidar, chuddies, chulha, churidar, cinema, City of Joy, clean chit, co-brother, coir, Collector, colony, coming station, commercial sex workers, communal party, convent English, convent-educated, cool bar, corporator, correct English, country fellow, countrymade, cousin-brother, creche, crore, culturals, cum, curd rice, custodial deaths, cutting chai
D
dabba, dacoit, dahi, dakshin, dal, dandia, dar, dargah, darshan, dasi, deadly, Dearness Allowance, deewana, Delhi Belly, departmental store, deposes, desi, devdas, devi, dhan, dhania, dharma, dharna, dhikkar, dhobiwallah, dhoti, dias, dickey, dil, disproportionate assets, dissidents, divas, Diwali, domesticated person, doodhwallah, doosra, dost, doubt, dowry death, drumstick, dry grapes, dupatta, durbar
E
elaichi, electric trains, Emergency, encounter, English-medium, enjoy, enthu, evacuation, Eve, eveninger, eversilver, eve-teasing, extern, eyewash
F
fair, family-planning operation, fancy store, feminists, feni, fidayeen, film, filter coffee, firang, firing, fishcart, fisherfolk, foot overbridge, foreign hand, foreign-returned, forex reserves, French beard, functionalities, fundas
G
gaddar, gaddi, Gandhian, gangman, ganja, garam, Gaya Ram, gharwali, ghat, ghee, gherao, gives the slip to, glass bangles, gobar gas, God’s own country, godman, godown, good name, goonda, gora, Government of India Undertaking, grease, Great Indian Comedy, green signal, greens, Gujju, gumastha, gumboots, gunny bags, gur, gurka, guru, gutka, guyzer, gyan, gymkhana
H
hafta, hair fall, half ticket, hall ticket, hamara, handwash, hard, Harijans, havaldar, haveli, hawala, hawaldar, head bath, headweight, healthy, heat and dust, heights of, high command, hijra, hillstation, Himalayan blunder, Hindi belt, Hindu rate of growth, Hinduism, Hindus, Hindustan, Hindustani, Hindutva, Hinglish, history sheeter, Holi, homely, hooch, horn OK please, hotel, hukka, hundi, hungama
I
Iftar, immoral traffic, imported Basanti, indefinite fast, Indian Acronyms and Abbreviations, Indian-Made Foreign Liquor, indipop, inmates, innocent divorcee, interaction, intimate, invigilator, iron box, ISI Mark, item number
J
jaggery, japti, jati, jaundice, jawan, jeevan, jehadis, jhatka matka, ji, jibbah, johad, jollu party, josh
K
kabab, kaccha, kajal, kala mirch, kameez, kanjoos, kapda, karela, karma, karyakartas, keep, khadi, Kharif, Khatri, kiddish, kirana, kisan, kissa, kitty party, Kollywood, kurta, kuruvai
L
ladies bar, ladies seat, ladka, lady’s finger, lakh, Lakshmi, lal, langurs, lathi, lathicharge, laxman rekha, leela, Left parties, LIC policy, License Raj, load shedding, log, Lok Adalat, love marriage
M
maalish, madisaar, Madras Tamil, Madrasi, Maha, maida, maidan, make a move, Mallu, mama, mami, management seats, mandi, mantra, mantri, Manu, masala, masti, matrimonials, matter, maulvi, mediamen, medicos, meet, mehndi, mela, memsahib, militants, military hotel, minority community, mint condition, mirchi, miscreants, mixie, mofussil areas, mohajir, mohalla, monsoon, mooch, moolah, moral responsibility, morcha, mufti, Mughal, muhurtam, mukhota, Mumbai, mundu, Mungeri Lal, munsif, mushaira, music director, mutt
N
naik, nariyal, national integration, native place, Navratnas, naxalites, naya, near and dear, needful, Nehruvian, nescoffee, neta, nimbu, Nirodh, no encumberances, no?, non-veg joke, North Block, North-East, nose cut, NRIs, nullah
O
official machinery, offs, oil bath, open quota, opticals, other backward classes
P
paati, Page 3 people, Pak, pallu, pan, panchakatcham, panchayat, paneer, paper leak, parallel cinema, pardes, pariah, parlour, Partition, passed out, pati, patta, pennis, peon, Peter, PG accommodation, phenoyl, phool, PIL, PIN code, pindrop silence, pooja, postpaid, prepaid cards, prepone, President’s rule, prime accused, pseudosecular party, pucca, punjabis, purana, purdah, put up, pyar, pyjama
Q
R
Rabi, ragging, Raj, Raja, Ramzan, rape, ration shops, Ravan, redressal, regional aspirations, regularise, reservation, rest house, resume, revert, rickshaw, road roko, roadside Romeos, rosewater, roti, rowdy, rubber, ryots
S
saas, saathi, sabha, sadhu, saloon, salwar, salwar kameez, samadhi, samaj, samarpan, samba, sanctum sanctorum, sangam, Sangh Parivar, sanyas, sapna, Sardarji, sari, sarkari, Sati-Savitri, satta, scamster, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, seat sharing, seedha-saadha, seer, seva, shakehand, shakti, shamiana, shanti, shikaara, Sidhuisms, sindoor, sleeper, sloka, social justice, soft corner, South Block, South India, speak in English, speed-breaker, Sri, standard, starrer, status family, stepney, studio, supari killer, sutradar, swadeshi, swami, Syrian Christians
T
tainted, tamasha, Tamizh, tanda, tandoori, tantric, tehsildar, tempo, tender coconut, thalaivar, thali, thana, third front, three-wheelers, tiffin, tiffin carrier, timepass, tolet, Tollywood, tonga, too good, tortoise coil, tribal, trishul, trouser
U
Udipi hotel, ulta, undertrial, Untouchables, updation, upgradation, upto, Urdu, use and throw, utsav
V
vaastu, Vaishya, vakil, vanaspathi, VCD, veg, veshti, Villi, vote bank
W
wallah, wet grinder, wheatish complexion, would-be
Y
Z
Other Contributors
Andrea Allen (U.S.), Ann Duffy (Australia), Deborah S. Phillips (Germany), Geetika Guha, John Beckford (UK), John Robert Schmitz, J. J. Hradecky (Canada), Masayuki Shiraishi (Japan), Paul Bolding (UK), R Shankar, S C Agrawal, Sheela Chandran (Singapore), and Yogesh Khatri.