durbar

American  

[dur-bahr] / ˈdɜr bɑr /

noun

1. the court of an Indian ruler.

2. a public audience or levee held by an Indian prince or by a British colonial governor or viceroy; an official reception.

3. the hall or place where an Indian prince or British colonial governor holds a public audience.

4. an audience held by an Indian prince or British colonial governor.

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durbar British  

/ ˌdɜːˈbɑː, ˈdɜːbɑː /

noun

1. 1. (formerly) the court of a native ruler or a governor in India and British Colonial West Africa

   2. a levee at such a court

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Etymology

Origin of durbar

First recorded in 1600–10; alteration of Urdu darbār “court,” from Persian, equivalent to dar “door” + bār “entry”

Example Sentences

Experts worked on restoring the papier mache ceiling in the university's grand durbar hall.

From BBC • Jan. 27, 2023

At a durbar, nothing quite prepares you for the riot of colours that adorn the gathering of chiefs all wearing kente.

From BBC • Mar. 23, 2021

Instead of agreeing enthusiastically, as a maharajah in the 19th century would at Queen Victoria’s durbar, Modi wanted something in return.

From The Guardian • Mar. 9, 2018

In the French television serial “Rani,” the opulence of Indian royalty and of the French 18th-century aristocracy are recreated with as much pomp as Chanel’s more exclusive durbar.

From New York Times • Dec. 22, 2011

Colonel Younghusband made the release the occasion of an impressive durbar, in which he addressed a solemn warning to the Tibetans on the sanctity of the British subject.

From The Unveiling of Lhasa by Candler, Edmund