Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
havildar. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
havildar, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
havildar in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
havildar you have here. The definition of the word
havildar will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
havildar, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
Borrowed from Hindustani حوالدار (ḥavāldār) / हविलदार (havildār), from Persian حوالدار (havâldâr), from Arabic حَوَالَة (ḥawāla, “charge”) + Persian دار (dâr, “holder”).
Pronunciation
Noun
havildar (plural havildars)
- (South Asia) An noncommissioned officer rank in parts of India, later a specific military rank of the British Indian Army and of the modern armies of India and Pakistan, equivalent to sergeant.
1888, Rudyard Kipling, ‘At Howli Thana’, Black and White, Folio Society, published 2005, page 388:‘There was a great fight,’ said the Havildar, ‘and of us no man escaped unhurt.’
1990, Peter Hopkirk, The Great Game, Folio Society, published 2010, page 406:On being congratulated by the Russian, the Gurkha havildar, or sergeant, whispered anxiously to Younghusband that he should inform the towering Gromchevsky that they were unusually small and that most Gurkhas were even taller than he was.