Indian English vocabulary

Maria Sun
Words that have special meanings in Indian English.
40 words 6 learners

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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
  31. unburden
    take the burden off; remove the burden from
  32. take
    get into one's hands
  33. use
    put into service
  34. habituate
    familiarize psychologically or physically
  35. habit
    an established custom
  36. habilitate
    provide with clothes or put clothes on
  37. disqualify
    make unfit or unsuitable
  38. pronounce
    speak or utter in a certain way
  39. pronounce
    speak or utter in a certain way
  40. sound out
    speak, pronounce, or utter in a certain way
Created on Tue Jun 08 17:27:39 EDT 2010

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