panchayat

Borrowed from Hindi पंचायत (pañcāyat, “panchayat (originally a council of five)”).

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /panˈt͡ʃʌɪət/
• (India) IPA^(key): /pənˈt͡ʃɑjət̪/
• Hyphenation: pan‧cha‧yat

panchayat (plural panchayats)

1. (South Asia, chiefly India) A village council or local government. [from late 19th C.]
   • 2004, Khushwant Singh, Burial at Sea, Penguin, published 2014, page 58:

     He called a panchayat of the village and asked them if they objected to having a mill go up next to their village.

   • 2005, Salman Rushdie, Shalimar the Clown, Vintage, published 2006, page 233:

     “You're in the panchayat,” she said. “So couldn't you make that official?”

2. (Nepal, historical) An advisory council with limited powers under the absolute monarchy of 1961 to 1990.

• gram panchayat
• nagar panchayat
• panchayati raj
• sarpanch