An alternative spelling of bhisti; a water carrier or person who supplies water in colonial India.
From Hindi भिस्ती (bhisṭī), with 'sh' representing the 'st' sound in a different transliteration system. This spelling variant reflects different romanization choices made by colonial writers and administrators.
The word 'bhishti' appears frequently in 19th-century colonial literature and military records—different British authors spelled it different ways (bhishti, bhisti, bheestie), creating a linguistic record of how English speakers struggled to transliterate Hindi into their orthography.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.