polo

Where does the word "polo" come from? It comes from Balti pulu, and was adopted directly into English (1870s).

Polo’s story begins in Balti: pulu meant “a ball.” Literally ball, from the game played on horseback in the mountains of northern India. It reached English by 1870s as polo. Balti 'pulu', ball; British tea planters in Manipur formed the first polo club in 1859. Today, polo means a game played on horseback in which players use mallets to hit a ball.

1. Stage 1 · Balti · medieval pulu "a ball", literally ball, from the game played on horseback in the mountains of northern India.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1870s polo "a game played on horseback with mallets and a ball", Balti 'pulu', ball; British tea planters in Manipur formed the first polo club in 1859.