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Which Persian words about government became part of Hindi?
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The Hindi language has integrated numerous Persian terms related to administration and governance. These words have become so deeply assimilated into the lexicon that they are often not recognized as loanwords by native speakers.1
Key administrative and legal terms include:
- faujdari: criminal (case)
- vazir: minister
- musahib: courtier
- dalil: argument
- faisla: judgment
- gavahi: witness
These borrowings occurred as early speakers of Khari Boli interacted with immigrants from regions such as Iran and Afghanistan. Despite efforts by post-independence purists to remove foreign influences, these terms remain a fundamental part of the language.1