What is palanquin mean?
: a conveyance formerly used especially in eastern Asia usually for one person that consists of an enclosed litter borne on the shoulders of men by means of poles.
How do you pronounce palanquins?
Which pronunciation of either is correct?
Using English phonetics, [ EE-ther ] and [ AHY-ther ] are both correct. As a side note, giving “th” a phonetic Z (or S or F or D) sound is a common mispronunciation that can be corrected with practice.
Where does the word palanquin come from?
It is borne on the shoulders of two, four or even eight bearers of special caste or class. The origin of the word is sanskrit palayanka (a traveling bed). Its pali form is palanka and Hindi and Bangla, palki. The Portuguese are said to have added a nasal termination to any of these words and called it palanquin.
David Nilsen is the former editor of Fourth & Sycamore. He is a member of the National Book Critics Circle. You can find more of his writing on his website at davidnilsenwriter.com and follow him on Twitter as @NilsenDavid.