Everyday life

pukka

Sanskrit pakva 'cooked, ripe' became Hindi pakkā 'solid, proper': a pukka house was brick-built, and to British India a 'pukka sahib' was the genuine article. Indian English still builds pucca houses, and British slang revived 'pukka' for 'excellent'.

Weakest linkCertain

The road to English

From Hindi to Urdu

From Prakrit to Punjabi

From Prakrit to Bengali

From English to Indian English

1200 BCESanskrit

Hops are evenly spaced; labels show the year each form is first attested.

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