linguistics

Belur and brilliant beryls

The name of the gemstone, beryl, probably originates from the Prakrit veruliya and Sanskrit vaidurya- which might be of Dravidian provenance. One theory points its source to the city of Velur (modern Belur, Karnataka). Derivatives such as brilliant and beryllium share these origins.

Panchen = Great Pandit

The Panchen in Panchen Lama is a portmanteau of the Sanskrit pandit and the Tibetan chenpo (meaning great).

Gymkhana

The word gymkhana is derived from the Hindi gend-khana (ball-house), but altered due to its association with and influence of the word, gymnasium.

Chai Tea

In the West, Masala Chai is often referred to using the tautological Chai Tea or Chai Tea Latte or simply Chai Latte.

Dal Lake

Dal Lake in Kashmir is a tautology as the word dal in Balti means lake. This would effectively make its name Lake Lake.

Orange

History
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A Norange hypocrisy: Did you know that the fruit and the colour have their roots in our humble corner of the world?
linguistics