punjab
/pʌnˈdʒɑːb/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.69 in modern English
17
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
name
A geographical region of South Asia, divided (by the Radcliffe Line) between India and Pakistan. Pakistani Punjab includes the (West) Punjab Province and parts of the Islamabad Capital Territory; Indian Punjab includes (East) Punjab State and some other territories.
Etymology
From Punjabi ਪੰਜਾਬ / پنجاب (pañjāb), from Classical Persian پَنْجَاب (panjāb, “[Land of] the Five Rivers”), from پَنْج (panj, “five”) and آب (āb, “water”), referring to five rivers of the Punjab region: the Jhelum, the Chenab, the Ravi, the Sutlej and the Beas. The Persian term is a calque of Sanskrit पञ्चनद (pañcanada, “[Land of] the Five Rivers”), from पञ्च (pañca, “five”) and नद (nada, “river”). Related to punch (“beverage made of mixed fruit juice”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: ਪੰਜਾਬ, پَنْجَاب, पञ्चनद
Regional Pronunciation
- British English: /pʌnˈdʒɑːb/
Inflected Forms
Panjab (alternative)
Panjaub (alternative)