Gymkhana () (, , , , ) is a British Raj term which originally referred to a place of assembly. The meaning then altered to denote a place where skill-based contests were held. "Gymkhana" is an

Anglo-Indian Anglo-Indian people are a distinct minority group, minority community of mixed-race British and Indian ancestry. During the colonial period, their ancestry was defined as British paternal and Indian maternal heritage; post-independence, "Angl ...

expression, which is derived from the

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

word "'' Jamat-khana''". Most gymkhanas have a Gymkhana Club associated with them, a term coined during the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

for

gentlemen's club A gentlemen's club is a private social club of a type originally established by males from Britain's upper classes starting in the 17th century. Many countries outside Britain have prominent gentlemen's clubs, mostly those associated with the ...

. More generally, gymkhana refers to a social and sporting club in the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...

, and in other Asian countries including Malaysia, Thailand, Burma, and Singapore, as well as in East Africa.

Etymology

The first element of ''Gymkhana'' comes from ''gend'' meaning ''ball'' in Urdu/Hindi/Hindustani/Khariboli. This element is distinct from the English word ''

gym A gym, short for gymnasium (: gymnasiums or gymnasia), is an indoor venue for exercise and sports. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasion". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learn ...

'', short for ''gymnasium'' and ''

gymnastics Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring Balance (ability), balance, Strength training, strength, Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, agility, Motor coordination, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movem ...

'' which has Greek and Latin roots. The second element, ''khānā'' has a Persian origin, meaning a home or a compartment. In

, (خانه) is a term for ''dwelling, house''.From ''Loghat'nāmeh-ye''

Dehkhoda Allameh Ali-Akbar Dehkhodā (; 1879 – March 9, 1956) was a prominent Iranian literary writer, philologist, and lexicographer. He was the author of the '' Dehkhoda Dictionary'', the most extensive dictionary of the Persian language publis ...

, Third Edition ( Tehran University Press, 2006), quoted from ''Borhān-e Ghāte'' by

Mohammad Moin Mohammad Moin (, his surname could also be transliterated as Mo'in; July 12, 1914, in Rasht, Iran – July 4, 1971, in Tehran, Iran)Date of birth July 12, 1914, is according to Professor Mo'in's own notes. However, some sources indicate April 29, ...

. The court language of the

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an Early modern period, early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to ...

was Persian.

References

External links

*{{Wikisource-inline, list= **{{Cite NIE, wstitle=Gymkhana, year=1905, short=x , noicon=x **{{Cite EB1911, wstitle=Gymkhana, short=x , noicon=x Urdu-language words and phrases Hindi words and phrases Bengali words and phrases Sports venues Equestrian festivals

Etymology

See also

References

Further reading

External links