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Where does the word "gymkhana" come from? It comes from Hindi/Urdu gend-khana, and was adopted directly into English (1800s).
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Where does the word "gymkhana" come from? It comes from Hindi/Urdu gend-khana, and was adopted directly into English (1800s).
Gymkhana’s story begins in Hindi/Urdu: gend-khana meant “a place for ball games.” Literally "ball house", a place for racket games, blended with English "gymnastic". It reached English by 1800s as gymkhana. Hindi 'gend-khana', ball house, reshaped by English 'gym'; now also a horse show for children. Today, gymkhana means an event featuring competitive sports or horsemanship games.
- Stage 1 · Hindi/Urdu · 1800s gend-khana "a place for ball games", literally "ball house", a place for racket games, blended with English "gymnastic".
- Stage 2 · English · 1800s gymkhana "a sporting or athletic event", Hindi 'gend-khana', ball house, reshaped by English 'gym'; now also a horse show for children.