1790–1800; < Hindi zila < Persian ẓilaʿ < Arabic ḍilʿ part
From Hebrew Ṣillāh, possibly “shadow”
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Daily, nay almost hourly, reports come in from all parts of the zillah: now you hear of 'Lahee,' blight on some field; now it is 'Ihirka,' scorching, or 'Pilooa,' caterpillars.
From Sport and Work on the Nepaul Frontier Twelve Years Sporting Reminiscences of an Indigo Planter by Inglis, James
In British India the word is used to represent the zillah, an administrative subdivision of a province or presidency.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 5 "Dinard" to "Dodsworth" by Various
When the hoeing has been finished in zeraat and zillah, and all the upturned soil battened down by the hengha, the next thing is to commence the ploughing.
From Sport and Work on the Nepaul Frontier Twelve Years Sporting Reminiscences of an Indigo Planter by Inglis, James
When I first went to India we used to take out our pig-spear over the zillah with us as a matter of course, as we never knew when we might hit on a boar.
From Sport and Work on the Nepaul Frontier Twelve Years Sporting Reminiscences of an Indigo Planter by Inglis, James
Not unfrequently we would meet in the zillah of a morning, when we would invariably make for the nearest patch of grass or jungle, and enjoy a hunt together.
From Sport and Work on the Nepaul Frontier Twelve Years Sporting Reminiscences of an Indigo Planter by Inglis, James
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
