bundook

English

Etymology

From Hindi बन्दूक (bandūk, “gun”), from Arabic بُنْدُقِيَّة‎ (bunduqiyya, “rifle, gun”). The original Arabic was بُنْدُق‎ (bunduq) and denoted filberts, nuts shaped like the projectiles thrown from stone bows. That usage was transferred to the bows themselves. Later it was transferred from bows to firearms.

Noun

bundook (plural bundooks)

  1. (slang, Britain) A service issue rifle.

Usage notes

A term widely adopted by British regular soldiers serving in India or having contact with Indian troops.

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