ADC aide-de-camp, a general’s personal staff officer
alkalah long, loose tunic worn by irregular cavalry
anna one sixteenth of a rupee
Aryan belonging to, or descended from, the ancient people who spoke the parent Aryan language (often called Indo-European) from which Sanskrit, Greek, Latin, Teutonic and Persian (and their modern representatives) are derived; one of those who invaded and conquered India c. 1500 BC
assami a payment made, or debt incurred, by a silladar trooper upon receiving his uniform, weapons and horse
atta flour
ayah Indian nanny or maidservant
baba-logs affectionate term for children
babu title of respect; derogatory term for Indian clerks who wrote English
badmash bandit, bad character
bagheelog mutineers (literally runaways)
bahādur champion, hero
bania (banya) a Hindu trader in grain, merchant or shopkeeper, often a money-lender
batta a soldier’s allowance for war service or for being posted outside British India
bell-of-arms conical bell-shaped building used for storing weapons
bhainchute sister-violator
bhang infusion of hemp
bhisti water-carrier
bibi a European’s Indian mistress or a Muslim wife
Brahman member of the first varna, traditionally priests and scholars; the highest Hindu caste
brigade a military formation commanded by a brigadier and containing a mixture of infantry, cavalry and artillery units
burkandaze a matchlockman, watchman, guard or escort
Burra Sahib big or most important European
caste ascribed ritual status in the Hindu social hierarchy
CB Companion of the Order of the Bath
chapatti small, thin cake of coarse unleavened bread
chaprassi police constable; government messenger
charpoy simple bedstead
chaukidar watchman
chobdar mace-bearer
company a body of infantry, usually between eighty and a hundred men, led by a captain, lieutenant or subedar, and forming part of a battalion or regiment
cossid hand-delivered message
crore 100 lakhs, or 10,000,000, usually rupees (equivalent to £1 million)
cutcherry court of justice; office of a magistrate or other civil official
DAAG Deputy Assistant Adjutant-General. Staff officer with responsibility for discipline
dacoit armed bandit
dâk the postal system provided by relays of men or horses
dal split pulses like peas and lentils
darogah superintendent or overseer
dhoti loin cloth worn tucked between the legs and fastened at the waist
dhurrie mattress
Din (Deen) Muslim faith or religion
division (1) A military formation commanded by a major-general and containing a number of subunits such as field forces, brigades and regiments. The Bengal Army was geographically divided into seven military divisions (from south-east to north-west): Presidency, Dinapore, Cawnpore, Meerut, Sirhind, Lahore, Peshawar. (2) A civil administrative unit containing a number of districts. The civil divisions (Agra, Benares, Meerut, etc.) do not correspond to the military divisions.
Diwan (Dewan) chief minister of a royal court
doab tract of land between two converging rivers; from Persian do (two) and ab (water)
doolie covered litter or stretcher
durbar royal court; synonym for government
fakir religious mendicant
feringhi literally ‘Frank’, or ‘foreigner’; derogatory term for a European
firman imperial edict or order
GCB Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
gharry a slow horse-drawn, box-like carriage
ghee clarified butter
godown warehouse or store for goods
gora-logs Indian term for European men
guddi literally cushion, but taken to mean the throne of a prince or noble
Gujar a semi-nomadic caste of northern India
hackery a bullock cart; a carriage
hakim physician
havildar Indian NCO, equivalent to sergeant
havildar-major senior Indian NCO, equivalent to sergeant-major
Hindi major Aryan vernacular of northern India, spoken (with many dialects) from the frontiers of Bengal to those of the Punjab and Sind
Hindustan originally the region of the River Indus; in the colonial period it denoted upper India (the plain of the Ganges, except Bengal)
Hindustani a simplified form of Urdu using Hindi script and Sanskritized words
Id Muslim festival that marks the end of Ramadan
jagir assignment of government revenue from a district, often in return for military service
jemadar junior Indian officer in regular infantry or cavalry regiment
jezail long-barrelled musket favoured by Pathan tribesmen
jhil a marsh, lake or pond
jihad holy war waged by Muslims against non-believers
jullad executioner
KCB Knight Commander of the order of the Bath
khalasi labourer
khansaman cook, house steward, table servant
khidmatgar senior household servant, equivalent to a butler
kotwal chief police officer of a town or city
kotwali police headquarters
Kshatriya member of the second, or warrior, varna
kurta loose frock coat worn by irregular cavalry
lakh 100,000 units, usually rupees (equivalent to £10,000)
lathi thick iron-bound club
limber carriage used for towing artillery
lota brass drinking vessel used by high-caste Indians
mahajun money-lender or banker
mahout elephant-driver
maulvi Muslim holy man
mirza Mogul prince
mohur gold coin introduced by the Moguls
mulligatawny curried soup
munshi a scribe or clerk, or, more particularly, a language teacher or translator
musnud a cushioned throne used by Indian princes
naik Indian NCO, equivalent to corporal
nautch erotic entertainment by professional Indian dancers
nazir ceremonial gift
NCO non-commissioned officer
nullah a deep ditch or dry river bed
palanquin one-man covered litter carried on poles by men or beasts
paltan a regiment of Indian infantry from the French ‘peloton’ and later English ‘platoon’
Pandit learned Hindu Brahman
pargana a revenue subdivision; a group of mutually connected villages
Parsi adherent of the Zoroastrian faith
Pathan a member of the Pushtu-speaking Muslim people inhabiting south-east Afghanistan and the North-West Frontier
perwanah order or warrant
Peshwa hereditary leader of the Maratha Confederacy; originally the minister of the Raja of Satara
pice a quarter of an anna
pugri light turban or thin scarf worn round hat
pukka proper, as in pukka roof, tiled rather than thatched
pulao spiced rice
punchayet informal native court; council of village elders
punkah rudimentary fan in the form of a piece of cloth attached to the ceiling
punkah-wallah servant who kept the punkah in motion by pulling on a string
purbia (purbiya) inhabitant of the north Indian region that included Oudh, Bihar and Benares
purdah seclusion or isolation, especially of Muslim women. From Urdu and Persian pardah (veil)
pyjamas loose Indian trousers
quarter-guard a regiment’s armed guard; building that housed the guard and was used to detain prisoners
raj kingdom or principality; rule; often used loosely to denote British rule in India
raja Indian prince or ruler; title of nobility
Rajput member of the most prominent military and landholding caste in northern India; Kshatriya class
Ramadan (Ramazan) ninth month of the Muslim year, observed as a thirty-day fast during the hours of daylight
regiment a body of soldiers, composed of around ten infantry companies or six cavalry troops, and usually led by a colonel
ressalah (rissala) troop or squadron of irregular horse
ressaldar (rissaldar) senior Indian officer in irregular cavalry regiment
rezai quilt stuffed with raw cotton
rupee Indian silver coin, valued at one tenth (2 shillings) of a pound sterling (gold) until about 1870
ryot cultivator or farmer, distinct from labourer
sadhu ascetic holy man
Sadr Amin (Sudder Ameen) Indian judge
sahib master or lord, most frequently applied to European officers and officials
sahib-log Europeans (literally ‘Master race’)
sepoy an Indian infantry private, from the Persian for soldier
serai a stopping-place for travellers, usually in the form of a square courtyard with animals inside and small rooms to sleep in
Shahzadah son of a shah
shako a cylindrical military hat with a peak
Shudra member of the fourth varna, of serfs or labourers
Sikh member of a monotheistic religion founded in the Punjab in the fifteenth century by disillusioned Hindus
silladar irregular cavalryman who provides, or pays for, his own weapons, horse and accoutrements
sirdar Indian military chief or leader
sirkar (sircar) state or government
sowar cavalry trooper
subedar (subadar) senior Indian officer of an infantry company or cavalry troop
subedar-major senior Indian officer in regular cavalry or infantry regiment
suttee Hindu custom requiring the self-immolation of a widow on her husband’s funeral pyre
syce groom
tahsil administrative subdivision of a district
tahsildar Indian civil servant in charge of a tahsil
taluq (1) Fiscal lordship or estate, in which the holder is responsible for the revenue collection from a number of dependent villages (N. India). (2) A group of villages held in mutual dependence by lineage ties among the proprietary bodies
taluqdar Holder of a taluq. Under British revenue law in N.W. Provinces, a superior proprietor drawing a fixed percentage on revenue payments made by village sub-proprietors. In Oudh a full proprietor of a number of villages
tank freshwater pond
thakur Rajput landholder
thana a police station, or area under the jurisdiction of a local police station
thanadar chief police officer of a thana
tope grove of trees
tulwar curved Indian sword introduced by the Muslims
tykhana an underground room
Urdu language of the Muslim conquerors of Hindustan, derived from Hindi, but written in Arabic script; also known as Hindustani
Vaishya member of the third varna, of farmers and merchants
vakil an agent, particularly of a ruler; sometimes a lawyer
varna one of the four preordained classes – Brahmans, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras – into which all Hindu society is divided
vilayati foreign mercenary (often Afghan)
zemindar landholder; a person recognized by British law as the proprietor of land