punkah
Noun: A punkah is a type of large, swinging fan. It is traditionally made of a rectangular frame covered with cloth or canvas. This frame is suspended from the ceiling and is moved back and forth, usually by pulling a cord, to create a cooling breeze in a room.
The word "punkah" is a historical and cultural term. It refers specifically to a manually operated ventilation device common in colonial-era India and other hot regions before the widespread use of electric fans. * The room was kept cool by a slowly moving punkah. * A servant sat in the corner, pulling the cord that operated the punkah.
- Punkah-wallah: This is a related compound term (not the target word itself) for the person, typically a servant, whose job was to operate the punkah by pulling its cord.
- The punkah-wallah fell asleep, and the room grew still and hot.
- Punkha: An alternate spelling of "punkah".
- Fan: A general term for any device that creates a current of air. A punkah is a specific, historical type of fan.
- Ventilator: A device for circulating fresh air.
The term "punkah" is now largely archaic, used primarily in historical writing or to evoke a specific time and place. It is not used for modern electric or handheld fans.
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a large fan consisting of a frame covered with canvas that is suspended from the ceiling; used in India for circulating air in a room
