dak en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ɖɑːk/ (India)
Etymology
Borrowed from Hindustani डाक / ڈاک (ḍāk).
Meanings
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(South-Asia) A post system by means of transport relays of horses stationed at intervals along a route or network, carrying mail and passengers.
He prided himself on looking neat even when he was riding dâks.
1886 November 23, Rudyard Kipling, “The Arrest of Lieutenant Golightly”, in Plain Tales from the Hills, Calcutta: Thacker, Spink and Co.; London: W. Thacker & Co., published 1888, →OCLC, pages 117–118:
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(South-Asia) A dak bungalow.
Gaining the dak, they were joined on the veranda by four tight-lipped men.
1936, F.J. Thwaites, chapter XV, in The Redemption, Sydney: H. John Edwards, published 1940, page 161:
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(South-Asia, obsolete) A journey using the dak system.
“What are you going to do?” said the woman, between her sobs. “Do! Nothing. What should I do? Kill Kurrell or send you Home, or apply for leave to get a divorce? It's two days' dâk into Narkarra.”
1889, Rudyard Kipling, “A Wayside Comedy”, in Under the Deodars, Boston: The Greenock Press, published 1899, page 65:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| daks | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| dâk | alternative, obsolete | lexicographic | |
| dawk | alternative, obsolete | lexicographic |