Calcutta

[ kal-kuht-uh ]

/ kælˈkʌt ə /

noun

former name of Kolkata (but sometimes still used).

(sometimes lowercase) Also called Calcutta pool. a form of betting pool for a competition or tournament, as golf or auto racing, in which gamblers bid for participating contestants in an auction, the proceeds from which are put into a pool for distribution, according to a prearranged scale of percentages, to those who selected winners.

Definition for calcutta (2 of 2)

West Bengal

noun

a state in E India: formerly part of the province of Bengal. 33,805 sq. mi. (87,555 sq. km). Capital: Calcutta.Compare Bengal(def 1).

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for calcutta

Outnumbered five to one in Britain, Scots made up 60 percent of the merchants in Bengal, Calcutta and Madras.
Scotland’s ‘Yes’ Campaign and the Myth of Scottish Equality|Noah Caldwell|September 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Two brothers from Calcutta face divergent fates, one tragic and one beholden to that tragedy.
This Week’s Hot Reads: Sept. 17, 2013|Sarah Stodola|September 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Patients Trapped in Calcutta Hospital A fire broke out in a Calcutta hospital Friday, killing more than 80 people.
Dozens Killed in Calcutta Fire: Breaking Updates, Tweets, Photos, and More||December 9, 2011|DAILY BEAST
In the summer of 2006, an obscure mullah in Calcutta seemed desperate for some media attention.
India's Free-Speech Crisis|Basharat Peer|November 5, 2010|DAILY BEAST

Another is for education travel, to see the Taj Mahal and Calcutta and Delhi.
College Can Wait…And Wait|Kathleen Kingsbury|April 30, 2009|DAILY BEAST
The custom seems, however, more prevalent than in any part of India where I have been, the vicinity of Calcutta excepted.
An Account of The Kingdom of Nepal|Fancis Buchanan Hamilton
On its eastern bank stands Calcutta, the City of Palaces as it is often called.
Mark Seaworth|William H.G. Kingston
Arrived at Calcutta, the question arose: "What shall we do with him?"
Brave and Bold|Horatio Alger
It will be dangerous longer to remain in Calcutta, with the Dodges liable at any time to make more startling confessions.
Oswald Langdon|Carson Jay Lee
The railway across the district towards Calcutta, a branch of the Bengal-Nagpur system, was opened in 1899.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 8|Various

British Dictionary definitions for calcutta (1 of 2)

Calcutta

/ (kælˈkʌtə) /

noun

the former official name (still widely used) of Kolkata

British Dictionary definitions for calcutta (2 of 2)

West Bengal

noun

a state of E India, on the Bay of Bengal: formed in 1947 from the Hindu area of Bengal; additional territories added in 1950 (Cooch Behar), 1954 (Chandernagor), and 1956 (part of Bihar); mostly low-lying and crossed by the Hooghly River. Capital: Kolkata (Calcutta). Pop: 80 221 171 (2001). Area: 88 752 sq km (34 260 sq miles)

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

Word Origin and History for calcutta

Calcutta

city in eastern India, named for Hindu goddess Kali.

Culture definitions for calcutta

Calcutta

Largest city in India, located in the eastern part of the country on the Hooghly River.

Note

Calcutta is one of the largest cities in the world and suffers from poverty, overcrowding, and unemployment.