zillah

See also: Zillah

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Hindi ज़िला (zilā) and Urdu ضلع (zilā), from Classical Persian ضلع (zil', “side, edge”), from Arabic ضِلْع (ḍilʕ, “side, edge, division”). Cognate with Nepali जिल्ला (jillā) and Marathi जिल्हा (jilhā).

Noun

zillah (plural zillahs)

1. A district or local division, as of a province, in India.
   • 1843, “Act No. VII. of 1843”, in East India. Acts Passed by the Honourable the President of the Council of India, and by the Right Honourable the Governor-General, for 1843; […] (Accounts and Papers; 328), [London]: Ordered, by the House of Commons, to be printed, […], published 28 May 1845, →OCLC, section XLIV, page 11:

     And it is hereby enacted, that in any zillah, in which the Governor in Council of Fort St. George deems it expedient to establish the zillah court, and the court or courts under subordinate judges or principal sudder ameens, at separate stations, it shall be competent to the said Governor in Council, by an Order in Council, to authorize the session judge to take cognizance of all criminal cases subject ordinarily to the jurisdiction of the subordinate courts, […]

Further reading

• Henry Yule, A[rthur] C[oke] Burnell (1903) “zillah”, in William Crooke, editor, Hobson-Jobson […] , London: John Murray, […], page 983.