punkah

or pun·ka

[ puhng-kuh ]

noun

1. (especially in India) a fan, especially a large, swinging, screenlike fan hung from the ceiling and moved by a servant or by machinery.

adjective

1. of, pertaining to, used on, or working a punkah:

   punkah ropes.

Word History and Origins

Origin of punkah¹

First recorded in 1615–25, punkah is from the Hindi word paṅkhā

Example Sentences

Neither the rise of Singapore, nor the exploding cities of China and India, would have happened in the same way if they had still relied on punkah fans, shady verandas and afternoon naps.

From The Guardian

Punkah—a large screen-like fan swung from the ceiling.

From Project Gutenberg

So for several days with the punkah swinging over him the convalescent lay stretched out upon his steamer chair, the very picture of comfort and pleasant dreams.

From Project Gutenberg

At his elbow the tea tray was untouched, although at this hour of the afternoon he was usually stretched out in a rattan chair in the living-room with the punkah swinging over him, the latest magazine, three months old at that, in his hand, and the tea tray already replaced on the small table beside his chair by the cigar service holding cigarettes all neatly rolled ready for his match.

From Project Gutenberg

Punka, Punkah, pung′ka, n. a large fan for cooling the air of an Indian house, consisting of a light framework covered with cloth and suspended from the ceiling of a room, worked by pulling a cord or by machinery.

From Project Gutenberg