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punkah

or pun·ka

[ puhng-kuh ]

/ ˈpʌŋ kə /

|

noun

(especially in India) a fan, especially a large, swinging, screenlike fan hung from the ceiling and moved by a servant or by machinery.

adjective

of, pertaining to, used on, or working a punkah: punkah ropes.

Nearby words

Origin of punkah

First recorded in 1615–25, punkah is from the Hindi word paṅkhā

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for punkah

All is ready for the tired traveler, and a boy can be hired for a trifling sum to make the punkah "punk."
Camps and Trails in China|Roy Chapman Andrews and Yvette Borup Andrews
Inside the house the temperature was little cooler despite the punkah which droned monotonously overhead.
The Jungle Girl|Gordon Casserly
He discovered, too, that it was a good thing to lie in the wave of air under the punkah.
Actions and Reactions|Rudyard Kipling
A flying stone struck the boom of the punkah, and thumped on the table.
Dragon's blood|Henry Milner Rideout

The absence of a punkah, a necessity to which he was accustomed, was also a trial.
From Jungle to Java|Arthur Keyser