igo BORROWED INDIAN WORDS 



equivalents, such as " tom-tom," " sepoy " and 

 " suttee." I will also omit Indian words, such 

 as "bundobust," and "griffin," which are used by 

 writers like Thackeray in the same way in which 

 French terms are commonly introduced into English 

 composition. 



Of course, it is not always possible to draw a hard 

 and fast line. There are words which first came 

 into England as the trade names of Indian products, 

 but have extended their significance, or entirely 

 changed it, and taken a permanent place in the 

 English language. Pepper still means what it 

 originally meant, but it has also become a verb. 

 Another example is Shawl, a word which has lost all 

 trace of its Oriental origin. It is a pure Hindustani 

 word, pronounced " Shal," and indicating an article 

 thus described in the seventeenth century by Theve- 

 not, as quoted in Hobson-Jobson : — " Une Chal, qui 

 est une manure de toilette d'une laine tr&s fine qui 

 se fait a Cachmir." With the article to England 

 came the name, but soon spread itself over all fabrics 

 worn in the same fashion, except the Scotch plaid, 

 which held its own. 



Somewhat similar is Calico, originally a fine 

 cotton cloth imported from Calicut. This place is 

 called Calicot by the natives, and may have dropped 

 the final T through the influence of French dress- 

 makers. Chintz is another example, being the 

 Hindustani word " cheent," which means a spotted 

 cotton cloth. In trade fabrics are always described 



