shamiana

English

Alternative forms

• shameanah, shameeana, shamiyanah, shamyana, shamyanah

Etymology

From Urdu شامیانہ (śāmiyānā), from Persian شامیانه (šâmiyâne, “(India) a marquee”).

Noun

shamiana (plural shamianas)

1. (India) A large, ornate tent or pavilion; a marquee.
   • 1997, Kiran Nagarkar, Cuckold, HarperCollins, published 2013, page 155:

     It was the rainy season and we had put up a big shamiana around the open-air pit to accommodate everyone.

   • 2016, Sunil Khilnani, Incarnations, Penguin, published 2017, page 87:

     At a time when free expression in India is under pressure from many directions […] the podiums and shamiana tents of the Jaipur festival have become pop-up shops for thinkers with contrarian positions.