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Today it means

dinghy

a small open boat, often carried aboard a larger vessel

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Where does the word "dinghy" come from? It comes from Hindi dingi, and was adopted directly into English (1800s).

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Where does the word "dinghy" come from? It comes from Hindi dingi, and was adopted directly into English (1800s).

Dinghy’s story begins in Hindi: dingi meant “a small boat.” A small river boat used in South Asia; perhaps ultimately from Sanskrit drona-m "wooden trough". It reached English by 1800s as dinghy. From Hindi 'ḍingī', a small river boat. Today, dinghy means a small open boat, often carried aboard a larger vessel.

  1. Stage 1 · Hindi · medieval dingi "a small boat", a small river boat used in South Asia; perhaps ultimately from Sanskrit drona-m "wooden trough".
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1800s dinghy "a small open boat", from Hindi 'ḍingī', a small river boat.

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