Adawlut

/ədɔːˈluːt/ noun

Definition

In Indian colonial administration, the chief court or high court, particularly the principal court of justice in a district.

Etymology

From Hindi/Urdu 'adalat' (court of justice) combined with 'ut' suffix; derives from Arabic 'adl' (justice); became fixed in English administrative vocabulary during the British Raj.

Kelly Says

The British needed a word for Indian courts that weren't British courts, so they borrowed 'adawlut' wholesale—it's frozen in Victorian administration records as the exact term colonial officers actually used.

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