- a variation of punkah.
punka
Britishnoun
Etymology
Origin of punka
C17: from Hindi pankhā, from Sanskrit paksaka fan, from paksa wing
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.
To and fro the punka flapped; the pulleys creaked and the ropes scraped above the sound of knives and forks and spoons.
From Parrot & Co. by Harold MacGrath
The punka will at least give us a breath of fresh air.
From Parrot & Co. by Harold MacGrath
The swinging punka is one of the simplest forms of mechanism; it can be fitted up with the most primitive materials, and however badly made, it will always have some effect.
From Scientific American Supplement, No. 595, May 28, 1887 by Various
There sat the punka wala nodding, fast asleep, but keeping his arms moving all the time.
From Harper's Young People, August 3, 1880 An Illustrated Weekly by Various
Kitmudgar, remove that scorpion from the punka, before it drops into the Sahib's plate.—Hold, miscreant! who told you to kill it?
From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 01, No. 04, February, 1858 by Various
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.
