Chapter XXXI: Preface: TO SECOND EDITION xi (28)

1772.—"I observe that the Court of Directors have ordered the _gomastahs_
to be withdrawn, and the investment to be provided by DADNEY
merchants."—_Warren Hastings_ to J. Purling, in _Gleig_, i. 227.

DAGBAIL, s. Hind. from Pers. _dāgh-i-bel_, 'spade-mark.' The line dug to trace out on the ground a camp, or a road or other construction. As the central line of a road, canal, or railroad it is the equivalent of English 'lockspit.'

DAGOBA, s. Singhalese _dāgaba_, from Pali _dhātugabbha_, and Sansk. _dhātu-garbha_, 'Relic-receptacle'; applied to any dome-like Buddhist shrine (see TOPE, PAGODA). Gen. Cunningham alleges that the _Chaitya_ was usually an empty tope dedicated to the Adi-Buddha (or Supreme, of the quasi-Theistic Buddhists), whilst the term _Dhātu-garbha_, or _Dhagoba_, was properly applied only to a _tope_ which was an actual relic-shrine, or repository of ashes of the dead (_Bhilsa Topes_, 9). ["The Shan word '_Htat_,' or '_Tat_,' and the Siamese '_Sat-oop_,' for a pagoda placed over portions of Gaudama's body, such as his flesh, teeth, and hair, is derived from the Sanskrit '_Dhātu-garba_,' a relic shrine" (_Hallett, A Thousand Miles_, 308).]

We are unable to say who first introduced the word into European use. It was well known to William von Humboldt, and to Ritter; but it has become more familiar through its frequent occurrence in Fergusson's _Hist. of Architecture_. The only surviving example of the native use of this term on the Continent of India, so far as we know, is in the neighbourhood of the remains of the great Buddhist establishments at Nalanda in Behar. See quotation below.

1806.—"In this irregular excavation are left two DHAGOPES, or solid
masses of stone, bearing the form of a cupola."—_Salt, Caves of
Salsette_, in _Tr. Lit. Soc. Bo._ i. 47, pub. 1819.

1823.—"... from the centre of the screens or walls, projects a
DAGHOPE."—_Des. of Caves near Nasick_, by _Lt.-Col. Delamaine_ in _As.
Journal_, N.S. 1830, vol. iii. 276.

1834.—"... Mihindu-Kumara ... preached in that island (Ceylon) the
Religion of Buddha, converted the aforesaid King, built DAGOBAS (Dagops,
_i.e._ sanctuaries under which the relics or images of Buddha are
deposited) in various places."—_Ritter, Asien_, Bd. iii. 1162.

1835.—"The Temple (cave at Nāsik) ... has no interior support, but a
rock-ceiling richly adorned with wheel-ornaments and lions, and in the
end-niche a DAGOP ..."—_Ibid._ iv. 683.

1836.—"Although the DAGOPS, both from varying size and from the
circumstance of their being in some cases independent erections and in
others only elements of the internal structure of a temple, have very
different aspects, yet their character is universally recognised as that
of closed masses devoted to the preservation or concealment of sacred
objects."—_W. v. Humboldt, Kawi-Sprache_, i. 144.

1840.—"We performed _pradakshina_ round the DHAGOBS, reclined on the
living couches of the devotees of Nirwan."—Letter of _Dr. John Wilson_,
in _Life_, 282.

1853.—"At the same time he (Sakya) foresaw that a DÁGOBA would be erected
to Kantaka on the spot...."—_Hardy, Manual of Buddhism_, 160.

1855.—"All kinds and forms are to be found ... the bell-shaped pyramid of
dead brickwork in all its varieties ... the bluff knob-like dome of the
Ceylon DAGOBAS...."—_Yule, Mission to Ava_, 35.

1872.—"It is a remarkable fact that the line of mounds (at Nalanda in
Bihar) still bears the name of 'DAGOP' by the country people. Is not this
the DÁGOBA of the Pálí annals?"—_Broadley, Buddh. Remains of Bíhár_, in
_J.A.S.B._ xli., Pt. i. 305.

DAGON, n.p. A name often given by old European travellers to the place now called Rangoon, from the great Relic-shrine or DAGOBA there, called _Shwé_ (Golden) _Dagôn_. Some have suggested that it is a corruption of _dagoba_, but this is merely guesswork. In the Talaing language _tă'kkūn_ signifies 'athwart,' and, after the usual fashion, a legend had grown up connecting the name with the story of a tree lying 'athwart the hill-top,' which supernaturally indicated where the sacred relics of one of the Buddhas had been deposited (see _J.A.S.B._ xxviii. 477). Prof. Forchhammer recently (see _Notes on Early Hist. and Geog. of B. Burma_, No. 1) explained the true origin of the name. Towns lying near the sacred site had been known by the successive names of _Asitañña-nagara_ and _Ukkalanagara_. In the 12th century the last name disappears and is replaced by _Trikumbha-nagara_, or in Pali form _Tikumbha-nagara_, signifying '3-Hill-city.'[102] The Kalyāni inscription near Pegu contains both forms. _Tikumbha_ gradually in popular utterance became _Tikum_, _Tăkum_, and _Tăkun_, whence DAGÔN. The classical name of the great Dagoba is _Tikumbha-cheti_, and this is still in daily Burman use. When the original meaning of the word _Tăkum_ had been effaced from the memory of the Talaings, they invented the fable alluded to above in connection with the word _tă'kkūn_. [This view has been disputed by Col. Temple (_Ind. Ant._, Jan. 1893, p. 27). He gives the reading of the Kalyāni inscription as _Tigumpanagara_ and goes on to say: "There is more in favour of this derivation (from _dagoba_) than of any other yet produced. Thus we have _dāgaba_, Singhalese, admittedly from _dhātugabbha_, and as far back as the 16th century we have a persistent word _tigumpa_ or _digumpa_ (_dagon_, _digon_) in Burma with the same meaning. Until a clear derivation is made out, it is, therefore, not unsafe to say that _dagon_ represents some medieval Indian current form of _dhātugabbha_. This view is supported by a word _gompa_, used in the Himālayas about Sikkim for a Buddhist shrine, which looks _primâ facie_ like the remains of some such word as _gabbha_, the latter half of the compound _dhātugabbha_.... Neither _Trikumbha-nagara_ in Skt. nor _Tikumbha-nagara_ in Pali would mean 'Three-hill-city,' _kumbha_ being in no sense a 'hill' which is _kūta_, and there are not three hills on the site of the Shwe-Dagon Pagoda at Rangoon."]

c. 1546.—"He hath very certaine intelligence, how the Zemindoo hath
raised an army, with an intent to fall upon the Towns of COSMIN and Dalaa
(DALA), and to gain all along the rivers of DIGON and _Meidoo_, the whole
Province of _Danapluu_, even to _Ansedaa_ (hod. Donabyu and
Henzada)."—_F. M. Pinto_, tr. by H. C. 1653, p. 288.

c. 1585.—"After landing we began to walk, on the right side, by a street
some 50 paces wide, all along which we saw houses of wood, all gilt, and
set off with beautiful gardens in their fashion, in which dwell all the
Talapoins, which are their Friars, and the rulers of the _Pagode_ or
VARELLA of DOGON."—_Gasparo Balbi_, f. 96.

c. 1587.—"About two dayes iourney from Pegu there is a Varelle (see
VARELLA) or Pagode, which is the pilgrimage of the Pegues: it is called
DOGONNE, and is of a wonderfulle bignesse and all gilded from the foot to
the toppe."—_R. Fitch_, in _Hakl._ ii. 398, [393].

c. 1755.—DAGON and DAGOON occur in a paper of this period in _Dalrymple's
Oriental Repertory_, i. 141, 177; [Col. Temple adds: "The word is always
DIGON in Flouest's account of his travels in 1786 (_T'aung Pao_, vol. i.
_Les Francais en Birmanie au xviiie Siècle_, _passim_). It is always
DIGON (except once: "DIGONE capitale del Pegù," p. 149) in Quirini's
_Vita di Monsignor G. M. Percoto_, 1781; and it is DIGON in a map by
Antonio Zultae e figli Venezia, 1785. Symes, _Embassy to Ava_, 1803 (pp.
18, 23) has DAGON. Crawfurd, 1829, _Embassy to Ava_ (pp. 346-7), calls it
DAGONG. There is further a curious word, "Too DEGON," in one of Mortier's
maps, 1740."]

DAIBUL, n.p. See DIULSIND.

DAIMIO, s. A feudal prince in Japan. The word appears to be approximately the Jap. pronunciation of Chin. _taiming_, 'great name.' ["The Daimyōs were the territorial lords and barons of feudal Japan. The word means literally 'great name.' Accordingly, during the Middle Ages, warrior chiefs of less degree, corresponding, as one might say, to our knights or baronets, were known by the correlative title of _Shōmyō_, that is, 'small name.' But this latter fell into disuse. Perhaps it did not sound grand enough to be welcome to those who bore it" (_Chamberlain, Things Japanese_, 101 _seq._).]

DAISEYE, s. This word, representing _Desai_, repeatedly occurs in Kirkpatrick's _Letters of Tippoo_ (_e.g._ p. 196) for a local chief of some class. See DESSAYE.

DALA, n.p. This is now a town on the (west) side of the river of Rangoon, opposite to that city. But the name formerly applied to a large province in the Delta, stretching from the Rangoon River westward.

1546.—See _Pinto_, under DAGON.

1585.—"The 2d November we came to the city of DALA, where among other
things there are 10 halls full of elephants, which are here for the King
of Pegu, in charge of various attendants and officials."—_Gasp. Balbi_,
f. 95.

DALAWAY, s. In S. India the Commander-in-chief of an army; [Tam. _talavāy_, Skt. _dala_, 'army,' _vah_, 'to lead']; Can. and Mal. _dhaḷavāy_ and _daḷavāyi_. Old Can. _dhaḷa_, H. _dal_, 'an army.'

1615.—"Caeterum DELEUAIUS ... vehementer à rege contendit, ne com̃itteret
vt vllum condenda nova hac urbe Arcomaganensis portus antiquissimus
detrimentum caperet."—_Jarric, Thesaurus_, i. p. 179.

1700.—"Le TALAVAI, c'est le nom qu'on donne au Prince, qui gouverne
aujourd'hui le Royaume sous l'autorité de la Reine."—_Lettres Edif._ x.
162. See also p. 173 and xi. 90.

c. 1747.—"A few days after this, the DULWAI sent for Hydur, and seating
him on a musnud with himself, he consulted with him on the
re-establishment of his own affairs, complaining bitterly of his own
distress for want of money."—_H. of Hydur Naik_, 44. (See also under
DHURNA.)

1754.—"You are imposed on, I never wrote to the Maissore King or DALLOWAY
any such thing, nor they to me; nor had I a knowledge of any agreement
between the Nabob and the DALLAWAY."—_Letter from Gov. Saunders_ of
Madras to French Deputies in _Cambridge's Acct. of the War_, App. p. 29.

1763-78.—"He (Haidar) has lately taken the King (Mysore) out of the hands
of his Uncle, the DALAWAY."—_Orme_, iii. 636.

[1810.—"Two manuscripts ... preserved in different branches of the family
of the ancient DULWOYS of Mysoor."—_Wilks, Mysore_, Pref. ed. 1869, p.
xi.]

DALOYET, DELOYET, s. An armed attendant and messenger, the same as a PEON. H. _ḍhalait_, _ḍhalāyat_, from _ḍhāl_, 'a shield.' The word is never now used in Bengal and Upper India.

1772.—"Suppose every farmer in the province was enjoined to maintain a
number of good serviceable bullocks ... obliged to furnish the Government
with them on a requisition made to him by the Collector in writing (not
by sepoys, DELECTS (_sic_), or hercarras)" (see HURCARRA).—_W. Hastings_,
to G. Vansittart, in _Gleig_, i. 237.

1809.—"As it was very hot, I immediately employed my DELOGETS to keep off
the crowd."—_Ld. Valentia_, i. 339. The word here and elsewhere in that
book is a misprint for _deloyets_.

DAM, s. H. _dām_. Originally an actual copper coin, regarding which we find the following in the _Āīn_, i. 31, ed. _Blochmann_:—"1. The _Dám_ weighs 5 _tánks_, _i.e._ 1 _tolah_, 8 _māshas_, and 7 _surkhs_; it is the fortieth part of a rupee. At first this coin was called _Paisah_, and also _Bahloli_; now it is known under this name (_dám_). On one side the place is given where it was struck, on the other the date. For the purpose of calculation, the _dám_ is divided into 25 parts, each of which is called a _jétal_. This imaginary division is only used by accountants.

"2. The _adhelah_ is half of a _dám_. 3. The _Páulah_ is a quarter of a _dám_. 4. The _damrí_ is an eighth of a _dám_."

It is curious that Akbar's revenues were registered in this small currency, viz. in _laks_ of _dáms_. We may compare the Portuguese use of _reis_ [see REAS].

The tendency of denominations of coins is always to sink in value. The _jetal_ [see JEETUL], which had become an imaginary money of account in Akbar's time, was, in the 14th century, a real coin, which Mr. E. Thomas, chief of Indian numismatologists, has unearthed [see _Chron. Pathan Kings_, 231]. And now the _dām_ itself is imaginary. According to Elliot the people of the N.W.P. not long ago calculated 25 _dāms_ to the _paisā_, which would be 1600 to a rupee. Carnegy gives the Oudh popular currency table as:

26 _kauris_ = 1 _damrī_
1 _damrī_ = 3 dām
20 " = 1 _ānā_
25 _dām_ = 1 pice.

But the Calcutta Glossary says the _dām_ is in Bengal reckoned 1/20 of an _ānā_, _i.e._ 320 to the rupee. ["Most things of little value, here as well as in Bhagalpur (writing of Behar) are sold by an imaginary money called Takā, which is here reckoned equal to two Paysas. There are also imaginary monies called _Chadām_ and _Damrī_; the former is equal to 1 _Paysa_ or 25 cowries, the latter is equal to one-eighth of a _Paysa_" (_Buchanan, Eastern Ind._ i. 382 _seq._)]. We have not in our own experience met with any reckoning of _dāms_. In the case of the _damrī_ the denomination has increased instead of sinking in relation to the _dām_. For above we have the _damrī_ = 3 _dāms_, or according to Elliot (_Beames_, ii. 296) = 3¼ _dāms_, instead of ⅛ of a _dām_ as in Akbar's time. But in reality the _damrī's_ absolute value has remained the same. For by Carnegy's table 1 rupee or 16 anas would be equal to 320 _damrīs_, and by the _Āīn_, 1 rupee = 40 × 8 _damrīs_ = 320 _damrīs_. _Damrī_ is a common enough expression for the infinitesimal in coin, and one has often heard a Briton in India say: "No, I won't give a _dumree_!" with but a vague notion what a _damrī_ meant, as in Scotland we have heard, "I won't give a _plack_," though certainly the speaker could not have stated the value of that ancient coin. And this leads to the suggestion that a like expression, often heard from coarse talkers in England as well as in India, originated in the latter country, and that whatever profanity there may be in the animus, there is none in the etymology, when such an one blurts out "I don't care a _dām_!" _i.e._ in other words, "I don't care a brass farthing!"

If the Gentle Reader deems this a far-fetched suggestion, let us back it by a second. We find in Chaucer (_The Miller's Tale_):

"——ne raught he not a _kers_,"

which means, "he recked not a _cress_" (_ne flocci quidem_); an expression which is also found in Piers Plowman:

"Wisdom and witte is nowe not worthe a _kerse_."

And this we doubt not has given rise to that other vulgar expression, "I don't care a curse";—curiously parallel in its corruption to that in illustration of which we quote it.

[This suggestion about _dām_ was made by a writer in _Asiat. Res._, ed. 1803, vii. 461: "This word was perhaps in use even among our forefathers, and may innocently account for the expression '_not worth a fig_,' or a _dam_, especially if we recollect that _ba-dam_, an _almond_, is to-day current in some parts of India as small money. Might not dried figs have been employed anciently in the same way, since the Arabic word _fooloos_, a _halfpenny_, also denotes a _cassia bean_, and the root _fuls_ means the scale of a fish. Mankind are so apt, from a natural depravity, that 'flesh is heir to,' in their use of words, to pervert them from their original sense, that it is not a convincing argument against the present conjecture our using the word _curse_ in vulgar language in lieu of _dam_." The _N.E.D._ disposes of the matter: "The suggestion is ingenious, but has no basis in fact." In a letter to Mr. Ellis, Macaulay writes: "How they settle the matter I care not, as the Duke says, one _twopenny damn_"; and Sir G. Trevelyan notes: "It was the Duke of Wellington who invented this oath, so disproportioned to the greatness of its author." (_Life_, ed. 1878, ii. 257.)]

1628.—"The revenue of all the territories under the Emperors of Delhi
amounts, according to the Royal registers, to 6 _arbs_ and 30 _krors_ of
DÁMS. One _arb_ is equal to 100 _krors_ (a _kror_ being 10,000,000), and
a hundred _krors_ of DAMS are equal to 2 _krors_ and 50 _lacs_ of
rupees."—_Muhammad Sharīf Hanifī_, in _Elliot_, vii. 138.

c. 1840.—"Charles Greville saw the Duke soon after, and expressing the
pleasure he had felt in reading his speech (commending the conduct of
Capt. Charles Elliot in China), added that, however, many of the party
were angry with it; to which the Duke replied,—'I know they are, and I
don't care a DAMN. I have no time to do what is right.'

"A _twopenny damn_ was, I believe, the form usually employed by the Duke,
as an expression of value: but on the present occasion he seems to have
been less precise."—_Autobiography of Sir Henry Taylor_, i. 296. The term
referred to seems curiously to preserve an unconscious tradition of the
pecuniary, or what the idiotical jargon of our time calls the 'monetary,'
estimation contained in the expression.

1881.—"A Bavarian printer, jealous of the influence of capital, said that
'Cladstone baid millions of money to the beeble to fote for him, and
Beegonsfeel would not bay them a TAM, so they fote for Cladstone.'"—_A
Socialistic Picnic_, in _St. James's Gazette_, July 6.

[1900.—"There is not, I dare wager, a single bishop who cares one
'twopenny-halfpenny DIME' for any of that plenteousness for himself."—_H.
Bell_, Vicar of Muncaster, in _Times_, Aug. 31.]

DAMAN, n.p. _Damān_, one of the old settlements of the Portuguese which they still retain, on the coast of Guzerat, about 100 miles north of Bombay; written by them _Damão_.

1554.—"... the pilots said: 'We are here between Diu and DAMAN; if the
ship sinks here, not a soul will escape; we must make sail for the
shore."—_Sidi 'Ali_, 80.

[1607-8.—"Then that by no means or ships or men can goe saffelie to
Suratt, or theare expect any quiett trade for the many dangers likelie to
happen vnto them by the Portugals Cheef Comanders of Diu and DEMON and
places there aboute...."—_Birdwood, First Letter Book_, 247.]

1623.—"Il capitano ... sperava che potessimo esser vicini alla città di
DAMAN; laqual esta dentro il golfo di Cambaia a man destra...."—_P. della
Valle_, ii. 499 [Hak. Soc. i. 15].

DAMANI, s. Applied to a kind of squall. (See ELEPHANTA.)

DAMMER, s. This word is applied to various resins in different parts of India, chiefly as substitutes for pitch. The word appears to be Malayo-Javanese _damar_, used generically for resins, a class of substances the origin of which is probably often uncertain. [Mr. Skeat notes that the Malay _damar_ means rosin and a torch made of rosin, the latter consisting of a regular cylindrical case, made of bamboo or other suitable material, filled to the top with rosin and ignited.] To one of the _dammer_-producing trees in the Archipelago the name _Dammara alba_, Rumph. (N. O. _Coniferae_), has been given, and this furnishes the 'East India Dammer' of English varnish-makers. In Burma the _dammer_ used is derived from at least three different genera of the N. O. _Dipterocarpeae_; in Bengal it is derived from the _sāl_ tree (see SAUL-WOOD) (_Shorea robusta_) and other _Shoreae_, as well as by importation from transmarine sources. In S. India "white _dammer_," "_Dammer_ Pitch," or _Piney_ resin, is the produce of _Vateria indica_, and "black _dammer_" of _Canarium strictum_; in Cutch the _dammer_ used is stated by Lieut. Leech (_Bombay Selections_, No. xv. p. 215-216) to be made from _chandrūz_ (or _chandras_ = copal) boiled with an equal quantity of oil. This is probably Fryer's 'rosin taken out of the sea' (_infra_). [On the other hand Mr. Pringle (_Diary, &c., Fort St. George_, 1st ser. iv. 178) quotes Crawfurd (_Malay Archip._ i. 455): (Dammer) "exudes through the bark, and is either found adhering to the trunk and branches in large lumps, or in masses on the ground, under the trees. As these often grow near the sea-side or on banks of rivers, the damar is frequently floated away and collected at different places as drift"; and adds: "The dammer used for caulking the _masula_ boats at Madras when Fryer was there, may have been, and probably was, imported from the Archipelago, and the fact that the resin was largely collected as drift may have been mentioned in answer to his enquiries."] Some of the Malay _dammer_ also seems, from Major M‘Nair's statement, to be, like copal, fossil. [On this Mr. Skeat says: "It is true that it is sometimes dug up out of the ground, possibly because it may form on the roots of certain trees, or because a great mass of it will fall and partially bury itself in the ground by its own weight, but I have never heard of its being found actually fossilised, and I should question the fact seriously."]

The word is sometimes used in India [and by the Malays, see above] for 'a torch,' because torches are formed of rags dipped in it. This is perhaps the use which accounts for Haex's explanation below.

1584.—"_Demnar_ (for DEMMAR) from Siacca and Blinton" (_i.e._ Siak and
Billiton).—_Barret_, in _Hakl._ ii. 43.

1631.—In _Haex's Malay Vocabulary_: "DAMAR, Lumen quod accenditur."

1673.—"The Boat is not strengthened with Knee-Timbers as ours are, the
bended Planks are sowed together with Rope-yarn of the Cocoe, and calked
with DAMMAR (a sort of Rosin taken out of the sea)."—_Fryer_, 37.

" "The long continued Current from the Inland Parts (at Surat)
through the vast Wildernesses of huge Woods and Forests, wafts great
Rafts of Timber for Shipping and Building: and DAMAR for Pitch, the
finest sented Bitumen (if it be not a gum or Rosin) I ever met
with."—_Ibid._ 121.

1727.—"DAMAR, a gum that is used for making Pitch and Tar for the use of
Shipping."—_A. Hamilton_, ii. 73; [ed. 1744, ii. 72].

c. 1755.—"A DEMAR-Boy (Torch-boy)."—_Ives_, 50.

1878.—"This DAMMAR, which is the general Malayan name for resin, is dug
out of the forests by the Malays, and seems to be the fossilised juices
of former growth of jungle."—_McNair, Perak_, &c., 188.

1885.—"The other great industry of the place (in Sumatra) is DAMMAR
collecting. This substance, as is well known, is the resin which exudes
from notches made in various species of coniferous and dipterocarpous
trees ... out of whose stem ... the native cuts large notches up to a
height of 40 or 50 feet from the ground. The tree is then left for 3 or 4
months when, if it be a very healthy one, sufficient DAMMAR will have
exuded to make it worth while collecting; the yield may then be as much
as 94 Amsterdam pounds."—_H. O. Forbes, A Naturalist's Wanderings_, p.
135.

DANA, s. H. _dāna_, literally 'grain,' and therefore the exact translation of GRAM in its original sense (q.v.). It is often used in Bengal as synonymous with gram, thus: "Give the horse his _dāna_." We find it also in this specific way by an old traveller:

1616.—"A kind of graine called DONNA, somewhat like our Pease, which they
boyle, and when it is cold give them mingled with course Sugar, and twise
or thrise in the Weeke, Butter to scoure their Bodies."—_Terry_, in
_Purchas_, ii. 1471.

DANCING-GIRL, s. This, or among the older Anglo-Indians, _Dancing-Wench_, was the representative of the (Portuguese _Bailadeira_) BAYADÈRE, or NAUTCH-girl (q.v.), also CUNCHUNEE. In S. India dancing-girls are all Hindus, [and known as _Devadāsī_ or _Bhogam-dāsī_;] in N. India they are both Hindu, called _Rāmjanī_ (see RUM-JOHNNY), and Mussulman, called _Kanchanī_ (see CUNCHUNEE). In Dutch the phrase takes a very plain-spoken form, see quotation from Valentijn; [others are equally explicit, _e.g._ Sir T. Roe (Hak. Soc. i. 145) and P. della Valle, ii. 282.]

1606.—See description by _Gouvea_, f. 39.

1673.—"After supper they treated us with the DANCING WENCHES, and good
soops of Brandy and Delf Beer, till it was late enough."—_Fryer_, 152.

1701.—"The Governor conducted the Nabob into the Consultation Room ...
after dinner they were diverted with the DANCING WENCHES."—In _Wheeler_,
i. 377.

1726.—"Wat de DANS-HOEREN (anders _Dewataschi_ (_Deva-dāsī_) ... genaamd,
en an de Goden hunner Pagoden als getrouwd) belangd."—_Valentijn, Chor._
54.

1763-78.—"Mandelslow tells a story of a Nabob who cut off the heads of a
set of DANCING GIRLS ... because they did not come to his palace on the
first summons."—_Orme_, i. 28 (ed. 1803).

1789.—"... DANCING GIRLS who display amazing agility and grace in all
their motions."—_Munro, Narrative_, 73.

c. 1812.—"I often sat by the open window, and there, night after night, I
used to hear the songs of the unhappy DANCING GIRLS, accompanied by the
sweet yet melancholy music of the _cithára_."—_Mrs. Sherwood's Autobiog._
423.

[1813.—Forbes gives an account of the two classes of DANCING GIRLS, those
who sing and dance in private houses, and those attached to temples.—_Or.
Mem._ 2nd ed. i. 61.]

1815.—"DANCING GIRLS were once numerous in Persia; and the first poets of
that country have celebrated the beauty of their persons and the melody
of their voices."—_Malcolm, H. of Persia_, ii. 587.

1838.—"The Maharajah sent us in the evening a new set of DANCING GIRLS,
as they were called, though they turned out to be twelve of the ugliest
old women I ever saw."—_Osborne, Court and Camp of Runjeet Singh_, 154.

1843.—"We decorated the Temples of the false gods. We provided the
DANCING GIRLS. We gilded and painted the images to which our ignorant
subjects bowed down."—_Macaulay's Speech on the Somnauth Proclamation._

DANDY, s.

(A). A boatman. The term is peculiar to the Gangetic rivers. H. and Beng. _ḍānḍi_, from _ḍānḍ_ or _ḍanḍ_, 'a staff, an oar.'

1685.—"Our DANDEES (or boatmen) boyled their rice, and we supped
here."—_Hedges, Diary_, Jan. 6; [Hak. Soc. i. 175].

1763.—"The oppressions of your officers were carried to such a length
that they put a stop to all business, and plundered and seized the
DANDIES and Mangies' [see MANJEE] vessel."—_W. Hastings_ to the Nawab, in
_Long_, 347.

1809.—"Two naked DANDYS paddling at the head of the vessel."—_Ld.
Valentia_, i. 67.

1824.—"I am indeed often surprised to observe the difference between my
DANDEES (who are nearly the colour of a black teapot) and the generality
of the peasants whom we meet."—_Bp. Heber_, i. 149 (ed. 1844).

—— (B). A kind of ascetic who carries a staff. Same etymology. See _Solvyns_, who gives a plate of such an one.

[1828.—"... the DANDI is distinguished by carrying a small _Dand_, or
wand, with several processes or projections from it, and a piece of cloth
dyed with red ochre, in which the Brahmanical cord is supposed to be
enshrined, attached to it."—_H. H. Wilson, Sketch of the Religious Sects
of the Hindus_, ed. 1861, i. 193.]

—— (C). H. same spelling, and same etymology. A kind of vehicle used in the Himālaya, consisting of a strong cloth slung like a hammock to a bamboo staff, and carried by two (or more) men. The traveller can either sit sideways, or lie on his back. It is much the same as the Malabar MUNCHEEL (q.v.), [and P. della Valle describes a similar vehicle which he says the Portuguese call _Rete_ (Hak. Soc. i. 183)].

[1875.—"The nearest approach to travelling in a DANDI I can think of, is
sitting in a half-reefed top-sail in a storm, with the head and shoulders
above the yard."—_Wilson, Abode of Snow_, 103.]

1876.—"In the lower hills when she did not walk she travelled in a
DANDY."—_Kinloch, Large Game Shooting in Thibet_, 2nd S., p. vii.

DANGUR, n.p. H. _Ḍhāngar_, the name by which members of various tribes of Chūtiā Nāgpūr, but especially of the Orāons, are generally known when they go out to distant provinces to seek employment as labourers ("coolies"). A very large proportion of those who emigrate to the tea-plantations of E. India, and also to Mauritius and other colonies, belong to the Orāon tribe. The etymology of the term _Ḍhāngar_ is doubtful. The late Gen. Dalton says: "It is a word that from its apparent derivation (_dāng_ or _dhāng_, 'a hill') may mean any hill-man; but amongst several tribes of the Southern tributary Maháls, the terms Dhángar and Dhángarin mean the youth of the two sexes, both in highland and lowland villages, and it cannot be considered the national designation of any particular tribe" (_Descriptive Ethnology of Bengal_, 245) [and see _Risley, Tribes and Castes_, i. 219].

DARCHEENEE, s. P. _dār-chīnī_, 'China-stick,' _i.e._ cinnamon.

1563.—"... The people of Ormuz, because this bark was brought for sale
there by those who had come from China, called it DAR-CHINI, which in
Persian means 'wood of China,' and so they sold it in
Alexandria...."—_Garcia_, f. 59-60.

1621.—"As for cinnamon which you wrote was called by the Arabs DARTZENI,
I assure you that the _dar-síni_, as the Arabs say, or DAR-CHINI as the
Persians and Turks call it, is nothing but our ordinary _canella_."—_P.
della Valle_, ii. 206-7.

DARJEELING, DĀRJĪLING, n.p. A famous sanitarium in the Eastern Himālaya, the cession of which was purchased from the Raja of Sikkim in 1835; a tract largely added to by annexation in 1849, following on an outrage committed by the Sikkim Minister in imprisoning Dr. (afterwards Sir) Joseph Hooker and the late Dr. A. Campbell, Superintendent of Darjeeling. The sanitarium stands at 6500 to 7500 feet above the sea. The popular Tibetan spelling of the name is, according to Jaeshcke, _rDor-rje-glin_, 'Land of the _Dorje_,' _i.e._ 'of the Adamant or thunderbolt,' the ritual sceptre of the Lamas. But 'according to several titles of books in the Petersburg list of MSS. it ought properly to be spelt _Dar-rgyas-glin_' (_Tib. Eng. Dict._ p. 287).

DARÓGA, s. P. and H. _dāroghā_. This word seems to be originally Mongol (see _Kovalevsky's Dict._ No. 1672). In any case it is one of those terms brought by the Mongol hosts from the far East. In their nomenclature it was applied to a Governor of a province or city, and in this sense it continued to be used under Timur and his immediate successors. But it is the tendency of official titles, as of denominations of coin, to descend in value; and that of _dāroghā_ has in later days been bestowed on a variety of humbler persons. Wilson defines the word thus: "The chief native officer in various departments under the native government, a superintendent, a manager: but in later times he is especially the head of a police, customs, or excise station." Under the British Police system, from 1793 to 1862-63, the _Darogha_ was a local Chief of Police, or Head Constable, [and this is still the popular title in the N.W.P. for the officer in charge of a Police Station.] The word occurs in the sense of a Governor in a Mongol inscription, of the year 1314, found in the Chinese Province of Shensi, which is given by Pauthier in his _Marc. Pol._, p. 773. The Mongol Governor of Moscow, during a part of the Tartar domination in Russia, is called in the old Russian Chronicles _Doroga_ (see _Hammer, Golden Horde_, 384). And according to the same writer the word appears in a Byzantine writer (unnamed) as Δάρηγας (_ibid._ 238-9). The Byzantine form and the passages below of 1404 and 1665 seem to imply some former variation in pronunciation. But Clavijo has also DERROGA in § clii.

c. 1220.—"Tuli Khan named as DARUGHA at Merv one called Barmas, and
himself marched upon Nishapur."—_Abulghāzi_, by _Desmaisons_, 135.

1404.—"And in this city (Tauris) there was a kinsman of the Emperor as
Magistrate thereof, whom they call DERREGA, and he treated the said
Ambassadors with much respect."—_Clavijo_, § lxxxii. Comp. _Markham_, 90.

1441.—"... I reached the city of Kerman.... The DEROGHAH (governor) the
Emir Hadji Mohamed Kaiaschirin, being then absent...."—_Abdurrazzāk_, in
_India in the XVth Cent._, p. 5.

c. 1590.—"The officers and servants attached to the Imperial Stables. 1.
The _Atbegi_.... 2. The DĀROGHAH. There is one appointed for each
stable...."—_Āīn_, tr. _Blochmann_, i. 137.

1621.—"The 10th of October, the DAROGĀ, or Governor of Ispahan, Mir
Abdulaazim, the King's son-in-law, who, as was afterwards seen in that
charge of his, was a downright madman...."—_P. della Valle_, ii. 166.

1665.—"There stands a DEREGA, upon each side of the River, who will not
suffer any person to pass without leave."—_Tavernier_, E.T., ii. 52; [ed.
_Ball_, i. 117].

1673.—"The DROGER, or Mayor of the City, or Captain of the Watch, or the
Rounds; It is his duty to preside with the Main Guard a-nights before the
Palace-gates."—_Fryer_, 339.

1673.—"The DROGER being Master of his Science, persists; what comfort can
I reap from your Disturbance?"—_Fryer_, 389.

1682.—"I received a letter from Mr. Hill at Rajemaul advising ye DROGA of
ye Mint would not obey a Copy, but required at least a sight of ye
Originall."—_Hedges, Diary_, Dec. 14; [Hak. Soc. i. 57].

c. 1781.—"About this time, however, one day being very angry, the
DAROGHA, or master of the mint, presented himself, and asked the Nawaub
what device he would have struck on his new copper coinage. Hydur, in a
violent passion, told him to stamp an obscene figure on it."—_Hydur
Naik_, tr. by _Miles_, 488.

1812.—"Each division is guarded by a DAROGHA, with an establishment of
armed men."—_Fifth Report_, 44.

DATCHIN, s. This word is used in old books of Travel and Trade for a steelyard employed in China and the Archipelago. It is given by Leyden as a _Malay_ word for 'balance,' in his _Comp. Vocab. of Barma, Malay and Thai_, Serampore, 1810. It is also given by Crawfurd as _ḍachin_, a Malay word from the Javanese. There seems to be no doubt that in Peking dialect _ch'eng_ is 'to weigh,' and also '_steelyard_'; that in Amoy a small steelyard is called _ch'in_; and that in Canton dialect the steelyard is called _t'okch'ing_. Some of the Dictionaries also give _ta 'chêng_, 'large steelyard.' _Datchin_ or _dotchin_ may therefore possibly be a Chinese term; but considering how seldom traders' words are really Chinese, and how easily the Chinese monosyllables lend themselves to plausible combinations, it remains probable that the Canton word was adopted from foreigners. It has sometimes occurred to us that it might have been adopted from _Achin_ (d'Achin); see the first quotation. [The _N.E.D._, following Prof. Giles, gives it as a corruption of the Cantonese name _toh-ch'ing_ (in Court dialect _to-ch'êng_) from _toh_ 'to measure,' _ch'ing_, 'to weigh.' Mr. Skeat notes: "The standard Malay is _daching_, the Javanese _dachin_ (v. _Klinkert_, s.v.). He gives the word as of Chinese origin, and the probability is that the English word is from the Malay, which in its turn was borrowed from the Chinese. The final suggestion, _d'Achin_, seems out of the question.] Favre's _Malay Dict._ gives (in French) "DAXING (Ch. _pa-tchen_), steelyard, balance," also "_ber_-DAXING, to weigh," and Javan. "DAXIN, a weight of 100 kātis." Gericke's _Javan. Dict._ also gives "DATSIN-Picol," with a reference to Chinese. [With reference to Crawfurd's statement quoted above, Mr. Pringle (_Diary, Ft. St. George_, 1st ser. iv. 179) notes that Crawfurd had elsewhere adopted the view that the yard and the designation of it originated in China and passed from thence to the Archipelago (_Malay Archip._ i. 275). On the whole, the Chinese origin seems most probable.]

1554.—At Malacca. "The _baar_ of the great DACHEM contains 200 cates,
each _cate_ weighing two _arratels_, 4 ounces, 5 eighths, 15 grains, 3
tenths.... The Baar of the little DACHEM contains 200 cates; each cate
weighing two arratels."—_A. Nunes_, 39.

[1684-5.—"... he replyed That he was now Content yt ye Honble Company
should solely enjoy ye Customes of ye Place on condition yt ye People of
ye Place be free from all dutys & Customes and yt ye Profitt of ye
DUTCHIN be his...."—_Pringle, Diary, Ft. St. Geo._ 1st ser. iv. 12.]

1696.—"For their DOTCHIN and _Ballance_ they use that of
Japan."—_Bowyear's Journal at Cochin-China_, in _Dalrymple, O. R._ i. 88.

1711.—"Never weigh your Silver by their DOTCHINS, for they have usually
two Pair, one to receive, the other to pay by."—_Lockyer_, 113.

" "In the DOTCHIN, an expert Weigher will cheat two or three _per
cent._ by placing or shaking the Weight, and minding the Motion of the
Pole only."—_Ibid._ 115.

" "... every one has a _Chopchin_ and DOTCHIN to cut and weigh
silver."—_Ibid._ 141.

1748.—"These scales are made after the manner of the Roman balance, or
our English Stilliards, called by the Chinese _Litang_, and by us
DOT-CHIN."—_A Voyage to the E. Indies in 1747 and 1748_, &c., London,
1762, p. 324. The same book has, in a short vocabulary, at p. 265,
"English scales or DODGEONS ... Chinese _Litang_."

DATURA, s. This Latin-like name is really Skt. _dhattūra_, and so has passed into the derived vernaculars. The widely-spread _Datura Stramonium_, or Thorn-apple, is well known over Europe, but is not regarded as indigenous to India; though it appears to be wild in the Himālaya from Kashmīr to Sikkim. The Indian species, from which our generic name has been borrowed, is _Datura alba_, Nees (see _Hanbury and Flückiger_, 415) (_D. fastuosa_, L.). Garcia de Orta mentions the common use of this by thieves in India. Its effect on the victim was to produce temporary alienation of mind, and violent laughter, permitting the thief to act unopposed. He describes his own practice in dealing with such cases, which he had always found successful. _Datura_ was also often given as a practical joke, whence the Portuguese called it _Burladora_ ('Joker'). De Orta strongly disapproves of such pranks. The criminal use of _datura_ by a class of Thugs is rife in our own time. One of the present writers has judicially convicted many. Coolies returning with fortunes from the colonies often become the victims of such crimes. [See details in _Chevers, Ind. Med. Jurispr._ 179 _seqq._]

1563.—"_Maidservant._ A black woman of the house has been giving DATURA
to my mistress; she stole the keys, and the jewels that my mistress had
on her neck and in her jewel box, and has made off with a black man. It
would be a kindness to come to her help."—_Garcia, Colloquios_, f. 83.

1578.—"They call this plant in the Malabar tongue _unmata caya_
[_ummata-kāya_] ... in Canarese DATYRO...."—_Acosta_, 87.

c. 1580.—"Nascitur et ... DATURA Indorum, quarum ex seminibus Latrones
bellaria parant, quae in caravanis mercatoribus exhibentes largumque
somnum, profundumque inducentes aurum gemmasque surripiunt et
abeunt."—_Prosper Alpinus_, Pt. I. 190-1.

1598.—"They name [have] likewise an hearbe called DEUTROA, which beareth
a seede, whereof bruising out the sap, they put it into a cup, or other
vessell, and give it to their husbands, eyther in meate or drinke, and
presently therewith the Man is as though hee were half out of his
wits."—_Linschoten_, 60; [Hak. Soc. i. 209].

1608-10.—"Mais ainsi de mesme les femmes quand elles sçauent que leurs
maris en entretiennent quelqu'autre, elles s'en desfont par poison ou
autrement, et se seruent fort à cela de la semence de DATURA, qui est
d'vne estrange vertu. Ce _Datura_ ou DUROA, espece de _Stramonium_, est
vne plante grande et haute qui porte des fleurs blanches en Campane,
comme le _Cisampelo_, mais plus grande."—_Mocquet, Voyages_, 312.

[1610.—"In other parts of the Indies it is called DUTROA."—_Pyrard de
Laval_, Hak. Soc. ii. 114.

[1621.—"Garcias ab Horto ... makes mention of an hearb called DATURA,
which, if it be eaten, for 24 hours following, takes away all sense of
grief, makes them incline to laughter and mirth."—_Burton, Anatomy of
Mel._, Pt. 2, Sec. 5 Mem. I. Subs. 5.]

1673.—"DUTRY, the deadliest sort of _Solarium_ (_Solanum_) or
_Nightshade_."—_Fryer_, 32.

1676.—

"Make lechers and their punks with DEWTRY
Commit fantastical advowtry."
_Hudibras_, Pt. iii. Canto 1.

1690.—"And many of them (the Moors) take the liberty of mixing DUTRA and
Water together to drink ... which will intoxicate almost to
Madness."—_Ovington_, 235.

1810.—"The DATURA that grows in every part of India."—_Williamson, V. M._
ii. 135.

1874.—"DATURA. This plant, a native of the East Indies, and of Abyssinia,
more than a century ago had spread as a naturalized plant through every
country in Europe except Sweden, Lapland, and Norway, through the aid of
gipsy quacks, who used the seed as anti-spasmodics, or for more
questionable purposes."—_R. Brown_ in _Geog. Magazine_, i. 371.
_Note._—The statements derived from _Hanbury and Flückiger_ in the
beginning of this article disagree with this view, both as to the origin
of the European _Datura_ and the identity of the Indian plant. The doubts
about the birthplace of the various species of the genus remain in fact
undetermined. [See the discussion in _Watt, Econ. Dict._ iii. 29 _seqq._]

DATURA, YELLOW, and YELLOW THISTLE. These are Bombay names for the _Argemone mexicana, fico del inferno_ of Spaniards, introduced accidentally from America, and now an abundant and pestilent weed all over India.

DAWK, s. H. and Mahr. _ḍāk_, 'Post,' _i.e._ properly transport by relays of men and horses, and thence 'the mail' or letter-post, as well as any arrangement for travelling, or for transmitting articles by such relays. The institution was no doubt imitated from the _barīd_, or post, established throughout the empire of the Caliphs by Mo'āwia. The _barīd_ is itself connected with the Latin _verēdus_, and _verēdius_.

1310.—"It was the practice of the Sultan (Alá-uddín) when he sent an army
on an expedition to establish posts on the road, wherever posts could be
maintained.... At every half or quarter _kos_ runners were posted ... the
securing of accurate intelligence from the court on one side and the army
on the other was a great public benefit."—_Ziā-uddīn Barnī_, in _Elliot_,
iii. 203.

c. 1340.—"The foot-post (in India) is thus arranged: every mile is
divided into three equal intervals which are called DĀWAH, which is as
much as to say 'the third part of a mile' (the mile itself being called
in India _Koruh_). At every third of a mile there is a village well
inhabited, outside of which are three tents where men are seated ready to
start...."—_Ibn Batuta_, iii. 95.

c. 1340.—"So he wrote to the Sultan to announce our arrival, and sent his
letter by the DĀWAH, which is the foot post, as we have told
you...."—_Ibid._ 145.

" "At every mile (_i.e._ _Korūh_ or _coss_) from Delhi to
Daulatabād there are three DĀWAH or posts."—_Ibid._ 191-2. It seems
probable that this DĀWAH is some misunderstanding of ḌĀK.

" "There are established, between the capital and the chief cities
of the different territories, posts placed at certain distances from each
other, which are like the post-relays in Egypt and Syria ... but the
distance between them is not more than four bowshots or even less. At
each of these posts ten swift runners are stationed ... as soon as one of
these men receives a letter he runs off as rapidly as possible.... At
each of these post stations there are mosques, where prayers are said,
and where the traveller can find shelter, reservoirs full of good water,
and markets ... so that there is very little necessity for carrying
water, or food, or tents."—_Shahābuddīn Dimishkī_, in _Elliot_, iii. 581.

1528.—"... that every ten kos he should erect a _yam_, or post-house,
which they call a DÂK-CHOKI, for six horses...."—_Baber_, 393.

c. 1612.—"He (Akbar) established posts throughout his dominions, having
two horses and a set of footmen stationed at every five coss. The Indians
call this establishment 'DAK _chowky_.'"—_Firishta_, by _Briggs_, ii.
280-1.

1657.—"But when the intelligence of his (Dara-Shekoh's) officious
meddling had spread abroad through the provinces by the DÁK
_chauki_...."—_Khāfī Khān_, in _Elliot_, vii. 214.

1727.—"The Post in the Mogul's Dominions goes very swift, for at every
Caravanseray, which are built on the High-roads, about ten miles distant
from one another, Men, very swift of Foot, are kept ready.... And these
Curriers are called DOG _Chouckies_."—_A. Hamilton_, i. 149; [ed. 1744,
i. 150].

1771.—"I wrote to the Governor for permission to visit Calcutta by the
DAWKS...."—Letter in the _Intrigues of a Nabob_, &c., 76.

1781.—"I mean the absurd, unfair, irregular and dangerous Mode, of
suffering People to paw over their Neighbours' Letters at the
DOCK...."—Letter in _Hicky's Bengal Gazette_, Mar. 24.

1796.—"The Honble. the Governor-General in Council has been pleased to
order the re-establishment of DAWK _Bearers_ upon the new road from
Calcutta to Benares and Patna.... The following are the rates fixed....

"From Calcutta to Benares.... Sicca Rupees 500."—In _Seton-Karr_, ii.
185.

1809.—"He advised me to proceed immediately by DAWK...."—_Ld. Valentia_,
i. 62.

1824.—"The DĀK or post carrier having passed me on the preceding day, I
dropped a letter into his leathern bag, requesting a friend to send his
horse on for me."—_Seely, Wonders of Ellora_, ch. iv. A letter so sent by
the post-runner, in the absence of any receiving office, was said to go
"_by outside_ DAWK."

1843.—"JAM: You have received the money of the British for taking charge
of the DAWK; you have betrayed your trust, and stopped the DAWKS.... If
you come in and make your salám, and promise fidelity to the British
Government, I will restore to you your lands ... and the superintendence
of the DAWKS. If you refuse I will wait till the hot weather has gone
past, and then I will carry fire and sword into your territory ... and if
I catch you, I will hang you as a rebel."—_Sir C. Napier_ to the Jam of
the Jokees (in _Life of Dr. J. Wilson_, p. 440).

1873.—"... the true reason being, Mr. Barton declared, that he was too
stingy to pay her DAWK."—_The True Reformer_, i. 63.

DAWK, s. Name of a tree. See DHAWK.

DAWK, TO LAY A, v. To cause relays of bearers, or horses, to be posted on a road. As regards palankin bearers this used to be done either through the post-office, or through local CHOWDRIES (q.v.) of bearers. During the mutiny of 1857-58, when several young surgeons had arrived in India, whose services were urgently wanted at the front, it is said that the Head of the Department to which they had reported themselves, directed them immediately to 'LAY A DAWK.' One of them turned back from the door, saying: 'Would you explain, Sir; for you might just as well tell me to lay an egg!'

DAWK BUNGALOW. See under BUNGALOW.

DAYE, DHYE, s. A wet-nurse; used in Bengal and N. India, where this is the sense now attached to the word. Hind. _dāī_, Skt. _dātrikā_; conf. Pers. _dāyah_, a nurse, a midwife. The word also in the earlier English Regulations is applied, Wilson states, to "a female commissioner employed to interrogate and swear native women of condition, who could not appear to give evidence in a Court."

[1568.—"No Christian shall call an infidel DAYA at the time of her
labour."—_Archiv. Port. Orient._ fasc. iv. p. 25.]

1578.—"The whole plant is commonly known and used by the DAYAS, or as we
call them _comadres_" ("gossips," midwives).—_Acosta, Tractado_, 282.

1613.—"The medicines of the Malays ... ordinarily are roots of plants ...
horns and claws and stones, which are used by their leeches, and for the
most part by DAYAS, which are women physicians, excellent herbalists,
apprentices of the schools of Java Major."—_Godinho de Eredia_, f. 37.

1782.—In a Table of monthly Wages at Calcutta, we have:—

"DY (Wet-nurse) 10 Rs."—_India Gazette_, Oct. 12.-

1808.—"If the bearer hath not strength what can the DAEE (midwife)
do?"—Guzerati Proverb, in _Drummond's Illustrations_, 1803.

1810.—"The DHYE is more generally an attendant upon native
ladies."—_Williamson, V.M._ i. 341.

1883.—"... the 'DYAH' or wet-nurse is looked on as a second mother, and
usually provided for for life."—_Wills, Modern Persia_, 326.

[1887.—"I was much interested in the DHAIS ('midwives') class."—_Lady
Dufferin, Viceregal Life in India_, 337.]

DEANER, s. This is not Anglo-Indian, but it is a curious word of English Thieves' cant, signifying 'a shilling.' It seems doubtful whether it comes from the Italian _danaro_ or the Arabic DĪNĀR (q.v.); both eventually derived from the Latin _denarius_.

DEBAL, n.p. See DIUL-SIND.

DECCAN, n.p. and adj. Hind. _Dakhin_, _Dakkhin_, _Dakhan_, _Dakkhan_; _dakkhiṇa_, the Prakr. form of Skt. _dakshiṇa_, 'the South'; originally 'on the right hand'; compare _dexter_, δεξίος. The Southern part of India, the Peninsula, and especially the Tableland between the Eastern and Western Ghauts. It has been often applied also, politically, to specific States in that part of India, _e.g._ by the Portuguese in the 16th century to the Mahommedan Kingdom of Bījapur, and in more recent times by ourselves to the State of Hyderabad. In Western India the DECCAN stands opposed to the CONCAN (q.v.), _i.e._ the table-land of the interior to the maritime plain; in Upper India the DECCAN stands opposed to HINDŪSTĀN, _i.e._ roundly speaking, the country south of the Nerbudda to that north of it. The term frequently occurs in the Skt. books in the form _dakshiṇāpatha_ ('Southern region,' whence the Greek form in our first quotation), and _dakshīṇātya_ ('Southern'—qualifying some word for 'country'). So, in the _Paṅchatantra_: "There is in the Southern region (_dakshīṇātya janapada_) a town called Mihilāropya."

c. A.D. 80-90.—"But immediately after Barygaza the adjoining continent
extends from the North to the South, wherefore the region is called
DACHINABADĒS (Δαχιναβάδης), for the South is called in their tongue
DACHANOS (Δάχανος)."—_Periplus M.E., Geog. Gr. Min._ i. 254.

1510.—"In the said city of DECAN there reigns a King, who is a
Mahommedan."—_Varthema_, 117. (Here the term is applied to the city and
kingdom of Bījapur).

1517.—"On coming out of this Kingdom of Guzarat and Cambay towards the
South, and the inner parts of India, is the Kingdom of DACANI, which the
Indians call DECAN."—_Barbosa_, 69.

1552.—"Of DECANI or DAQUẼ as we now call it."—_Castanheda_, ii. 50.

" "He (Mahmūd Shāh) was so powerful that he now presumed to style
himself King of Canara, giving it the name of DECAN. And the name is said
to have been given to it from the combination of different nations
contained in it, because DECANIJ in their language signifies
'mongrel.'"—_De Barros_, Dec. II. liv. v. cap. 2. (It is difficult to
discover what has led astray here the usually well-informed De Barros).

1608.—"For the _Portugals_ of _Daman_ had wrought with an ancient friend
of theirs a _Raga_, who was absolute Lord of a Prouince (betweene
_Daman_, _Guzerat_, and DECAN) called Cruly, to be readie with 200
Horsemen to stay my passage."—_Capt. W. Hawkins_, in _Purchas_, i. 209.

[1612.—"The DESANINS, a people bordering on them (Portuguese) have
besieged six of their port towns."—_Danvers, Letters_, i. 258.]

1616.—"... his son Sultan Coron, who he designed, should command in
DECCAN."—_Sir T. Roe._

[ " "There is a resolution taken that Sultan Caronne shall go to the
DECAN Warres."—_Ibid._ Hak. Soc. i. 192.

[1623.—"A Moor of DACÀN."—_P. della Valle_, Hak. Soc. ii. 225.]

1667.—

"But such as at this day, to Indians known,
In Malabar or DECAN spreads her arms."
_Paradise Lost_, ix. [1102-3].

1726.—"DECAN [as a division] includes DECAN, _Cunkam_, and
_Balagatta_."—_Valentijn_, v. 1.

c. 1750.—"... alors le Nababe d'Arcate, tout petit Seigneur qu'il étoit,
comparé au Souba du DEKAM dont il n'étoit que le Fermier traiter (_sic_)
avec nous comme un Souverain avec ses sujets."—Letter of M. Bussy, in
_Cambridge's War in India_, p. xxix.

1870.—"In the DECCAN and in Ceylon trees and bushes near springs, may
often be seen covered with votive flowers."—_Lubbock, Origin of
Civilization_, 200. N.B.—This is a questionable statement as regards the
Deccan.

DECCANY, adj., also used as subst. Properly _dakhinī_, _dakkhinī_, _dakhnī_. Coming from the DECCAN. A (Mahommedan) inhabitant of the Deccan. Also the very peculiar dialect of Hindustani spoken by such people.

1516.—"The DECANI language, which is the natural language of the
country."—_Barbosa_, 77.

1572.—

"...
DECANYS, Orias, que e esperança
Tem de sua salvação nas resonantes
Aguas do Gange...."—_Camões_, vii. 20.

1578.—"The DECANINS (call the Betel-leaf) _Pan_."—_Acosta_, 139.

c. 1590.—"Hence DAK'HINĪS are notorious in Hindústán for
stupidity...."—Author quoted by _Blochmann, Āīn_, i. 443.

[1813.—"... and the DECANNE-bean (_butea superba_) are very
conspicuous."—_Forbes, Or. Mem._ 2nd. ed. i. 195.]

1861.—

"Ah, I rode a DECCANEE charger, with a saddle-cloth gold laced,
And a Persian sword, and a twelve-foot spear, and a pistol at my
waist."
_Sir A. C. Lyall, The Old Pindaree._

DECK, s. A look, a peep. Imp. of Hind. _dekh-nā_, 'to look.'

[1830.—"When on a sudden, coming to a check, Thompson's mahout called
out, 'DEKH! Sahib, DEKH!'"—_Or. Sporting Mag._, ed. 1873, i. 350.]

1854.—"... these formed the whole assemblage, with the occasional
exception of some officer, stopping as he passed by, returning from his
morning ride 'just to have a DEKH at the steamer.'..."-_-W. Arnold,
Oakfield_, i. 85.

DEEN, s. Ar. Hind. _dīn_, 'the faith.' The cry of excited Mahommedans, _Dīn, Dīn!_

c. 1580.—"... crying, as is their way, DIM, DIM, _Mafamede_, so that they
filled earth and air with terror and confusion."—_Primor e Honra_, &c.,
f. 19.

[c. 1760.—"The sound of DING Mahomed."—Orme, _Military Trans._ Madras
reprint, ii. 339.

[1764.—"When our seapoys observed the enemy they gave them a DING or
huzza."—_Carraccioli, Life of Clive_ i. 57.]

DELHI, n.p. The famous capital of the great Moghuls, in the latter years of that family; and the seat under various names of many preceding dynasties, going back into ages of which we have no distinct record. _Dillī_ is, according to Cunningham, the old Hindu form of the name; _Dihlī_ is that used by Mahommedans. According to _Panjab Notes and Queries_ (ii. 117 _seq._), _Dilpat_ is traditionally the name of the Dillī of Prithvī Rāj. _Dil_ is an old Hindi word for an eminence; and this is probably the etymology of _Dilpat_ and _Dilli_. The second quotation from Correa curiously illustrates the looseness of his geography. [The name has become unpleasantly familiar in connection with the so-called '_Delhi boil_,' a form of Oriental sore, similar to Biskra Button, Aleppo Evil, Lahore or Multan Sore (see _Delhi Gazetteer_, 15, note).]

1205.—(Muhammad Ghori marched) "towards DEHLI (may God preserve its
prosperity, and perpetuate its splendour!), which is among the chief
(mother) cities of Hind."—_Hasan Nizāmi_, in _Elliot_, ii. 216.