khadi

Where does the word "khadi" come from? It comes from Sanskrit khadi, passing through Hindi before entering English (1920s).

Khadi’s story begins in Sanskrit: khadi meant “cotton cloth.” A word for cotton cloth. By 1880s, the word had taken hold in Hindi as khaddar. Named coarse, handspun cotton cloth. It reached English by 1920s as khadi. Entered English through Gandhi's independence movement, which promoted homespun cloth. Today, khadi means hand-spun, handwoven cotton cloth from India, historically associated with the independence movement.

1. Stage 1 · Sanskrit · ancient khadi "cotton cloth", a word for cotton cloth.
2. Stage 2 · Hindi · 1880s khaddar "coarse handspun and handwoven cloth", named coarse, handspun cotton cloth.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1920s khadi "hand-spun, handwoven cotton cloth", entered English through Gandhi's independence movement, which promoted homespun cloth.