panchayat

[ puhn-chah-yuht ]

/ pənˈtʃɑ yət /

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noun

an elective village council in India.

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Origin of panchayat

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

Words nearby panchayat

pancarditis, pancetta, Panchaia, Pancha Sila, panchax, panchayat, Panchen Lama, panchetto, panchreston, panchromatic, pancosmism

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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

a village council in India

Word Origin for Panchayat

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