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pun·ka or pun·kah

(pŭngkə)

A fan used especially in India, made of a palm frond or strip of cloth hung from the ceiling and moved by a servant.

[Hindi paṅkhá, from Sanskrit pakṣakaḥ, fan, from pakṣaḥ, wing.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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