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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

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

The show includes Genji-related tea bowls, kimonos, household furnishings and a lacquered wood palanquin that the Met acquired in 2007.

From New York Times • May 23, 2019

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 palanquin is brought in, and her body is removed.

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.