Bunds

/bʌndz/ noun

Definition

Plural of bund; embankments or dikes built to hold back water, or merchant associations in India.

Etymology

From Hindi 'band' meaning dam or embankment, combined with English plural -s. The term entered English during colonial India and now refers both to water barriers and historical Indian trading guilds.

Kelly Says

The word traveled from Hindi into English through colonial trade routes, and 'bund' remains a crucial concept in South Asian engineering—without them, monsoon flooding would devastate millions of people.

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