Punjabi
Americannoun
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a native or inhabitant of the Punjab.
-
an Indic language of the Punjab.
adjective
noun
-
a member of the chief people of the Punjab
-
the state language of the Punjab, belonging to the Indic branch of the Indo-European family
adjective
Usage
What does Punjabi mean? A Punjabi is a person who is from or lives in Punjab, a former UK province. Punjabi is also the language spoken by the people of Punjab. Punjab was a province of British India until 1947. In that year, the province was split between the Asian countries of India and Pakistan. The majority of the former Punjab is now located in Pakistan, as the eastern province of Punjab. The rest of the land makes up the northwestern Indian state of Punjab. According to the 2011 Indian Census, just over 33 million speakers of Punjabi lived in India. It was the 11th most popular language in the country at that time, with 2. 7 percent of the country speaking it. According to the CIA Factbook, Punjabis are the largest ethnic group in Pakistan, making up 44. 7 percent of the population, and the Punjabi language is spoken by 48 percent of the country.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of Punjabi
First recorded in 1780–90; Punjab + -ī a suffix indicating relationship or origin
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.
"Main Vaapas Aaunga" features Punjabi superstar Diljit Dosanjh alongside veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah, with Vedang Raina and Sharvari Wagh portraying younger characters navigating questions of love and commitment.
From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026
On the way to the police station, Digwa, speaking in Punjabi to his brother, agreed to pretend that he had acted in self-defense.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026
Bollywood has long mined regional music scenes for reinvention - Punjabi pop, Mumbai hip-hop, Tamil indie - but Reble arrived with a sound still unfamiliar to much of mainstream India.
From BBC • May 15, 2026
The Koh-i-Noor, meaning "Mountain of Light" in Persian, has been the subject of conquest and intrigue for centuries, passing through the hands of Mughal princes, Iranian warriors, Afghan rulers and Punjabi Maharajas.
From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026
“He’s something of a genius. He has a Punjabi mother and a Bengali father, and because he learns French and English at school he already speaks four languages. I think he skipped two grades.”
From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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.
