Dictionary

bunnia en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈbʌnjə/

Etymology

Borrowed from Hindi बनिया (baniyā), ultimately from Sanskrit वणिज् (vaṇij). Doublet of banyan.

Meanings

1. (India) A merchant or trader.
   • Of what the Englishman's business would consist, the Raja made no enquiry: he was a zemindar after all, not a bania in a bazar, sitting cross-legged on a countertop. 2008, Amitav Ghosh, Sea of Poppies, Penguin, published 2015, page 84:
   • I dare not tell, do anything, or get anything done, because I am in debt to Bhangwan Dass the bunnia for two gold rings and a heavy anklet. 1888, Rudyard Kipling, “In the House of Suddhoo”, in Plain Tales from the Hills, Folio, published 2005, page 103:

Forms