Punjabi

Or Pan·ja·bi

[puhn-jah-bee]

noun

plural

Punjabis 

1. a native or inhabitant of the Punjab.

2. an Indic language of the Punjab.

adjective

1. of or relating to the Punjab, its people, or their language.

Punjabi

/ pʌnˈdʒɑːbɪ /

noun

1. a member of the chief people of the Punjab

2. the state language of the Punjab, belonging to the Indic branch of the Indo-European family

adjective

1. of or relating to the Punjab, its people, or their language

Word History and Origins

Origin of Punjabi¹

First recorded in 1780–90; Punjab + -ī a suffix indicating relationship or origin

Example Sentences

The West Midlands is home to many of the establishments, which combine a public house with Indian food and Punjabi music, and symbolise integration despite origins in segregation.

From BBC

And behind the wheel is often a turbaned Sikh man, their cabs adorned with religious symbols, portraits of Sikh Gurus, or posters of Punjabi singers.

From BBC

The trucking culture is so deep in India as well as North America, that it has spawned its own genre of Punjabi music.

From Los Angeles Times

On Sapphire - the album's best song - he enlists Indian superstar Arjit Singh for a duet, trading vocals in a mixture of English, Hindi and Punjabi over a lilting beat.

From BBC

She loved having a kick around the garden with her brothers, but her Punjabi dad wasn't keen on her joining a team.

From BBC

When To Use

What does Punjabi mean?

A Punjabi is a person who is from or lives in Punjab, a former UK province.Punjabi is also the language spoken by the people of Punjab.Punjab was a province of British India until 1947. In that year, the province was split between the Asian countries of India and Pakistan. The majority of the former Punjab is now located in Pakistan, as the eastern province of Punjab. The rest of the land makes up the northwestern Indian state of Punjab.According to the 2011 Indian Census, just over 33 million speakers of Punjabi lived in India. It was the 11th most popular language in the country at that time, with 2.7 percent of the country speaking it.According to the CIA Factbook, Punjabis are the largest ethnic group in Pakistan, making up 44.7 percent of the population, and the Punjabi language is spoken by 48 percent of the country.