9 Hindi words we should adopt in to English
Posted by staff / June 25, 2013 Business InsiderEnglish Business Insider crowdsourcedEnglish usage
Business Insider crowdsourced a list of Hindi words that would do well being introduced in to English usage. Some of them are amusing as a concept and totally great. Here’s a taste:
- Aap (आप) – A respectful way of referring to someone, especially someone older than you but also a stranger. It applies to both men and women.
- Vela (वेला) – To have nothing to do. For instance, ‘I’m vela today, do you want to hang out?’
- Gaganchumbi (गगनचुम्बी) – It literally refers to something that kisses the sky and suggests something that is lofty.
- Matlabi (मतलबी) – Someone who uses people and acts in his/her own interest.
- Angdai (अंगडाई) – A lazy stretch, the kind you do when you wake up in the morning (h/t Rosetta Stone)
For more great words, check out the article here: Business Insider.
Photo credit: alfrag – Fotolia.com
4 of those are also urdu words.
Great idea, however; according to my husband, Hindi is a dead language. 🙁
Ya, because there are only about a billion people who speak Hindi. FYI, Hindi’s not the same as Sanskrit, which is what your husband might have been referring to. If he was not, hey, you both learned something new today.
Even being so profound hindi speaker I am wondering what is vella ?….. either it shld be akela or wallah…
Vehla is Punjabi word… Mostly used in Delhi / North India.
or Vela is slang.. u might find it in urban hindi dictionary