panchayat

[ puhn-chah-yuht ]

noun
  1. an elective village council in India.

Origin of panchayat

1
First recorded in 1880–85, panchayat is from the Hindi word pañcāyat

Words Nearby panchayat

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use panchayat in a sentence

  • He however refused to accept the decision and said that he would go and find two people to represent him on the panchayat.

    Folklore of the Santal Parganas | Cecil Henry Bompas
  • The panchayat is only a rough and ready way of settling disputes, or punishing minor offences.

    India and the Indians | Edward F. Elwin
  • There is another reason why the panchayat, as applied to Christian congregations, is not altogether wholesome.

    India and the Indians | Edward F. Elwin
  • No one could deny that the reason was a good one and so the panchayat had to allow the divorce.

    Folklore of the Santal Parganas | Cecil Henry Bompas
  • However he had to give back the cow and pay twenty-five rupees to the panchayat.

    Folklore of the Santal Parganas | Cecil Henry Bompas

British Dictionary definitions for Panchayat

Panchayat

/ (pənˈtʃɑːjət) /


noun
  1. a village council in India

Origin of Panchayat

1
Hindi, from Sanskrit panch five, because such councils originally consisted of five members

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