munshi

or moon·shee

[ moon-shee ]

nounIndian English.
  1. an interpreter or language instructor.

  2. a secretary or assistant.

Origin of munshi

1
First recorded in 1770–80; from Hindi munshī, from Arabic munshi' “writer”

Words Nearby munshi

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use munshi in a sentence

  • Presumably it was made by his Turkish munshi for his note in the Memoirs (p. 329).

    The Bbur-nma in English | Babur, Emperor of Hindustan
  • I must say it to a munshi, who will write with a pen what I speak with my lips.

    Barclay of the Guides | Herbert Strang
  • The munshi demanded and received the purwana, or written permit.

    From Sea to Sea | Rudyard Kipling
  • The munshi said nothing but followed the Englishman with his one workable eye.

    From Sea to Sea | Rudyard Kipling
  • The language was Urdu, and the writer was a munshi, who was obviously communicating with an old pupil.

    The Motor Pirate | George Sidney Paternoster