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Showing results for palanquin. Search instead for alfaquin.
Synonyms

palanquin

American  
[pal-uhn-keen] / ˌpæl ənˈkin /
Or palankeen

noun

  1. (formerly in India and other Eastern countries) a passenger conveyance, usually for one person, consisting of a covered or boxlike litter carried by means of poles resting on the shoulders of several men.

palanquin British  
/ ˌpælənˈkiːn /

noun

  1. a covered litter, formerly used in the Orient, carried on the shoulders of four men

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • palankeener noun
  • palankeeningly adverb
  • palanquiner noun
  • palanquiningly adverb

Etymology

Origin of palanquin

1580–90; < Middle French < Dutch pallankin < Portuguese palanquim ≪ Pali pallaṅka, Sanskrit palyaṅka; compare Oriya pālaṅki

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"In India, it's said that the bride enters the husband's home carried on a palanquin and that she leaves only after her death, carried out on a funeral bier," Rao told the BBC.

From BBC • Mar. 7, 2026

The slim figure was carried by four bearers on a palanquin, while the company’s actors animated its arms and billowing skirts from the sides.

From New York Times • Mar. 9, 2023

He seems to have no desire for the trappings of luxury, eschewing the apparently traditional palanquin for his trips about town and showing little interest in the lavish feasts put in front of him.

From The Verge • Jan. 13, 2022

Cersei’s is a gilded palanquin carried by servants; Tyrion’s is a crate with scuzzy air holes.

From The New Yorker • Apr. 12, 2015

A veiled woman wearing a crown walks alongside the palanquin with her hand resting on the glass.

From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.