In South Asian contexts, cannabis or marijuana, or the plant itself; used particularly in Indian English.
From Hindi 'bhang,' derived from Sanskrit 'bhañga.' Originally referred to cannabis paste used in drinks and medicines. The word entered English through colonial India.
Bhang appears in ancient Sanskrit texts and has been used in Indian religious ceremonies and traditional medicine for thousands of years—when colonial English speakers borrowed the word 'bhang,' they were describing something with a longer documented history than their own language.
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