English words of Indian origin

The Oxford English Dictionary currently includes around one thousand words of Indian origin and the number continues to rise each year. This is not at all surprising, as the English language has a long history of absorbing words from other languages, due to the depth of the UK’s international relations.

Centuries of trade with India, ninety years of rule under the British Empire and increased immigration from India after World War 2 have all led naturally to the swapping of words. This occurs particularly where there is no equivalent word already. Words that are fun to say also make their way over. Some examples are:-

shampoo, tiffin, bungalow, cot, typhoon, juggernaut, shawl, pundit, thug, pyjamas, avatar, dam, bangle, chutney, jungle, punch, rickshaw, karma, guru, tickety-boo

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