Indian English vocabulary

Maria Sun
Words that have special meanings in Indian English.
30 words 1 learner

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. abstain
    refrain from doing, consuming, or partaking in something
    to stay away from something: "The workers who abstained from work yesterday have been suspended."
  2. avail
    be of use to, be useful to
    to make use of something, esp. an opportunity or offer: "To avail all these benefits, just register online."
  3. bogie
    an evil spirit
    a railway carriage/railroad car
  4. colony
    a group of organisms of the same type living together
    a small town set up by an employer or an organization for its workers
  5. communalism
    the practice of communal living and common ownership
    a strong sense of belonging to a particular, especially religious, community, which can lead to extreme behaviour or violence towards others
  6. copy
    a thing made to be similar or identical to another thing
    a book used by students for writing exercises, etc.
  7. dicky
    a man's detachable insert to simulate the front of a shirt
    the boot/trunk of a car
  8. encounter
    come together
    an incident in which police shoot dead a suspected criminal: "The two gangsters were later killed in a police encounter."
  9. hotel
    a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
    a restaurant
  10. light
    electromagnetic radiation that can produce visual sensation
    (of tea or coffee) containing a lot of water: "I don't like my coffee too light."
  11. metro
    an electric railway operating below the surface of the ground (usually in a city)
    a large or capital city, especially Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai or Chennai: "Here are the temperatures recorded at the four metros at 5 o'clock this morning."
  12. ply
    use diligently
    (of ships, buses, etc.) to travel regularly along a particular route or between two particular places
  13. ramp
    an inclined surface connecting two levels
    the long stage that models walk on during a fashion show
  14. revert
    go back to a previous state
    to reply: "Excellent openings—kindly revert with your updated CV."
  15. tank
    a large vessel for holding gases or liquids
    an artificial pool, lake or reservoir
  16. tiffin
    a midday meal
    a small meal, especially lunch
  17. perform
    get done
  18. ply
    use diligently
  19. do
    engage in
  20. practise
    engage in a rehearsal (of)
  21. drill
    a tool for making holes in hard materials
  22. educate
    give knowledge acquired by learning and instruction
  23. civilize
    raise to a more advanced stage of development
  24. cultivate
    adapt something wild to the environment
  25. naturalise
    make into a citizen
  26. naturalize
    make into a citizen
  27. explicate
    elaborate, as of theories and hypotheses
  28. explain
    make plain and comprehensible
  29. excuse
    a defense of some offensive behavior
  30. let off
    grant exemption or release to
Created on Tue Jun 08 17:26:02 EDT 2010

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