havildar

noun /ˈhavɪldɑː/

1. An noncommissioned officer rank in parts of India, later a specific military rank of the British Indian Army and of the modern armies of India and Pakistan, equivalent to sergeant.

   ‘There was a great fight,’ said the Havildar, ‘and of us no man escaped unhurt.’

Where it comes from

Borrowed from Hindustani حوالدار (ḥavāldār) / हविलदार (havildār), from Persian حوالدار (havâldâr), from Arabic حَوَالَة (ḥawāla, “charge”) + Persian دار (dâr, “holder”).

Adapted from the Wiktionary entry havildar (CC BY-SA 4.0).

← havelihaviour →

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