Showing results for "punka"

• a variation of punkah.

punka

British  

/ ˈpʌŋkə /

noun

1. a fan made of a palm leaf or leaves

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Etymology

Origin of punka

C17: from Hindi pankhā, from Sanskrit paksaka fan, from paksa wing

Example Sentences

I read my letter to mamma so far, and she says you won't know what a punka is.

From Harper's Young People, August 3, 1880 An Illustrated Weekly 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

In the grasses, in the trees, deep in the calix of punka flower and magnolia bloom, the gnats, the caterpillars, the beetles, all the microscopic, multitudinous life of the daytime drowsed and dozed.

From The Octopus : A story of California by Norris, Frank

Now, time, place, and mood being favorable, I called for the company hookah, and, extending the long Chinese chair, smoked myself to sleep under the punka.

From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 18, No. 110, December, 1866 A Magazine of Literature, Science, Art, and Politics by Various

This has nothing to do with ventilation; for if the punka were used in a closed room, it would still produce a cooling effect on the skin.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 595, May 28, 1887 by Various