Hobson-Jobson
by Henry Yule & A. C. Burnell (1820–1889)
- Free to read
- 57 hours to read
- 7 chapters
- Reading level: 7th grade
"Hobson-Jobson" by Sir Henry Yule and A. C. Burnell is a historical dictionary published in 1886. This glossary documents over 2,000 Anglo-Indian words and phrases that emerged during British colonial rule in India. Each entry includes citations from literary sources dating back to early European contact with the subcontinent, along with etymological notes. The work explores how Indian language terms were adopted, transformed, and sometimes misunderstood by British colonizers, revealing complex linguistic and cultural exchanges across centuries of contact.
- English language · India · Dictionaries
- English language · India · Etymology · Dictionaries
- English language · Foreign words and phrases · Indic · Dictionaries
- India · Languages · Influence on English · Dictionaries
- India · Civilization · Dictionaries
Read the opening
Chapter C
CABAYA, s. This word, though of Asiatic origin, was perhaps introduced into India by the Portuguese, whose writers of the 16th century apply it to the surcoat or long tunic of muslin, which is one of the most common native garments of the better classes in India. The word seems to be one of those which the Portuguese had received in older times from the Arabic (ḳabā, 'a vesture'). From Dozy's remarks this would seem in Barbary to take the form ḳabāya. Whether from Arabic or from Portuguese, the word has been introduced into the Malay countries, and is in common use in Java for the light cotton surcoat worn by Europeans, both ladies and gentlemen, in dishabille. The word is not now used in India Proper, unless by the Portuguese. But it has become familiar in Dutch, from its use in Java. [Mr. Gray, in his notes to Pyrard (i. 372), thinks that the word was introduced before the time of the Portuguese, and remarks that KABAYA in Ceylon means a coat or jacket worn by a European or native.]
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About this edition
This free edition of Hobson-Jobson by Henry Yule & A. C. Burnell comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #58529, released 2018-12-24. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: History - British, History - European, History - Modern (1750+), Language & Communication, Encyclopedias/Dictionaries/Reference.
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