Britain and India have a long history together. As a result of this history, the English language has many Hindi words that we use every day, without even thinking about it.

Hindi Words in the English Language

• Nirvana - Heavenly spiritual enlightenment

• Shampoo - Liquid to wash your hair

• Thug - A violent or aggressive person

• Veranda - A covered area outside the home to enjoy the garden in the shade

• Dungarees - Trousers with a piece attached that covers the chest, and has straps that attach it to the back

• Cummerbund - A sash worn around the waist, often part of a man's wedding clothing

• Pariah - A person widely disliked or hated

• Pajamas - Clothes we sleep in

• Typhoon - A tropical storm

• Hullabaloo - A lot of noisy fuss

• Doolally - To be 'crazy' or 'insane'

Essentially, colonial English men and women living in India adopted these words as the English language had no word for a veranda, and they thought a thug was an excellent description of an aggressive person. If English doesn’t have a word for something, it will 'borrow' from another language. As I write this wearing dungarees with my hair freshly washed with shampoo, I adore the flexibility of the English language, and the colour given to it by Indian words. I will not pretend that they were freely given, the English Empire were not kind to anyone who was not English, and they were especially unkind to non-Europeans. Basically, we stole everything we took from India.

Wrapping Up

If you enjoy a realistic and truthful look at the English language you might enjoy more of the Vocabulary Showcase, or you can look at the different private English lessons I teach online. Whatever you do though, think of all the Hindi that we think of as everyday English and appreciate the colour and variety it adds.