A water carrier or person who supplies water, particularly from the colonial period in India, from the Hindi word for water.
From Hindi भिस्ती (bhisṭī) or Hindi भीस्ती (bhīstī), derived from Persian بخش (bakhsh) or Arabic بئر (bi'r) meaning 'well' or 'water.' The word entered English during the British Raj to describe Indian workers who carried water.
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