nautch

Where does the word "nautch" come from? It comes from Sanskrit nritya, passing through Hindi before entering English (1809).

Nautch’s story begins in Sanskrit: nritya meant “dance, dramatic performance.” Meant 'dancing, acting, play'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Hindi as nach. The everyday word for dance. It reached English by 1809 as nautch. British colonials adopted the word for performances by professional Indian dancing girls. Today, nautch means a traditional style of dance performance in South Asia, historically performed by professional dancing girls for entertainment.

1. Stage 1 · Sanskrit · ancient nritya "dance, dramatic performance", meant 'dancing, acting, play'.
2. Stage 2 · Hindi · medieval nach "dance", the everyday word for dance.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1809 nautch "a traditional dance performance, especially by professional female dancers", British colonials adopted the word for performances by professional Indian dancing girls.