bunnia

English

Alternative forms

• bania, baniya, bunia, bunniah

Etymology

Borrowed from Hindi बनिया (baniyā), ultimately from Sanskrit वणिज् (vaṇij). Doublet of banyan.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbʌnjə/

Noun

bunnia (plural bunnias)

1. (India) A merchant or trader.
   • 1888, Rudyard Kipling, “In the House of Suddhoo”, in Plain Tales from the Hills, Folio, published 2005, page 103:

     I dare not tell, do anything, or get anything done, because I am in debt to Bhangwan Dass the bunnia for two gold rings and a heavy anklet.

   • 2008, Amitav Ghosh, Sea of Poppies, Penguin, published 2015, page 84:

     Of what the Englishman's business would consist, the Raja made no enquiry: he was a zemindar after all, not a bania in a bazar, sitting cross-legged on a countertop.

Anagrams

• Nubian