bungalow

Where does the word "bungalow" come from? It comes from Hindi/Gujarati bangla, passing through Anglo-Indian English before entering English (c. 1800s).

Bungalow’s story begins in Hindi/Gujarati: bangla meant “in the Bengali style.” Literally "of Bengal", describing a regional house style. By c. 1670s, the word had taken hold in Anglo-Indian English as bungalow. British officials adopted low, veranda'd Bengali-style houses. It reached English by c. 1800s as bungalow. Brought back to Britain and later popularized worldwide. Today, bungalow means a small house, usually built on a single story.

1. Stage 1 · Hindi/Gujarati · c. 1600s bangla "in the Bengali style", literally "of Bengal", describing a regional house style.
2. Stage 2 · Anglo-Indian English · c. 1670s bungalow "a low house with a wide veranda", British officials adopted low, veranda'd Bengali-style houses.
3. Stage 3 · English · c. 1800s bungalow "a single-story house", brought back to Britain and later popularized worldwide.