hundi
/ˈhʊndi/noun
उच्चारण हुन्डी
हुंडी (व्यापारियों द्वारा रकम चुकाने का लिखित आदेश)
Core word
- 1
[C] Indian English
a traditional written order to pay a sum of money to a named person, used by Indian traders instead of carrying cash
हुंडी (व्यापारियों द्वारा रकम चुकाने का लिखित आदेश)
- The merchant sent a hundi to his agent in Surat instead of carrying gold.
- Old business families in Rajasthan trusted the hundi for long-distance trade.
- In the nineteenth century, traders used a hundi to transfer money across the country.
+ 2 more examples
- A hundi was accepted by merchants who had never met the sender.
- The history book explains how a hundi worked as an early form of credit.
- 2
[C] Indian English
a box in a temple or shrine in which worshippers put money offerings
(मंदिर की) हुंडी, दान-पेटी
- Radhika dropped a coin in the hundi before leaving the temple.
- The temple trust counts the money from the hundi every month.
- Visitors put their offerings into the temple hundi before going home.
+ 2 more examples
- A new hundi was fixed at the entrance of the shrine.
- The money in the hundi is used to feed the poor.
Synonyms donation box
§Structures (grammar patterns) 4
a hundi (countable noun, money order)
In its older sense a hundi is a traditional written order to pay a sum of money to a named person, used by traders in India before modern banks. It is countable: a hundi, two hundis.
पुराने अर्थ में hundi किसी नामित व्यक्ति को धन देने का पारंपरिक लिखित आदेश है, जिसका प्रयोग आधुनिक बैंकों से पहले भारत में व्यापारी करते थे। यह countable है: a hundi, two hundis।
- The merchant sent a hundi to his agent in Surat.
- Hundis helped traders move money without carrying cash.
a hundi (donation box)
In the second sense, a hundi is a box in a temple or shrine where worshippers drop money offerings. In is used for the money, and the box is usually near the idol.
दूसरे अर्थ में hundi मंदिर या दरगाह का वह डिब्बा है जिसमें श्रद्धालु धन चढ़ाते हैं। धन के लिए 'in' आता है, और डिब्बा प्रायः मूर्ति के पास होता है।
- She dropped a coin in the hundi before leaving the temple.
- The temple hundi is opened once a month and counted.
draw/issue/honour a hundi
Verbs with the financial sense: draw, issue, discount, honour and pay. They show actions between a trader and a banker.
वित्तीय अर्थ वाली क्रियाएँ: draw, issue, discount, honour और pay। ये व्यापारी और साहूकार के बीच की क्रियाएँ बताती हैं।
- The banker honoured the hundi on the due date.
- The trader drew a hundi on his Mumbai partner.
hundi + of/at + place
Place names show where the hundi is payable or where the offering box stands.
स्थान के नाम से पता चलता है कि hundi कहाँ देय है या चढ़ावे का डिब्बा कहाँ रखा है।
- The hundi at the Tirupati temple collects crores of rupees a year.
- A hundi of the old bazaar was payable in Delhi.
+Collocations 4
verb + hundi
dropput money indrawissuehonour
- Pilgrims put money in the hundi as an offering.
adjective + hundi
templebigoverflowinglockedold
- The temple hundi was almost overflowing after the festival.
hundi + noun
collectionofferingmoneyboxcounting
- The hundi collection is used for charity and repairs.
hundi in trade
bill of exchangemoney transfercredit notemerchantbanker
- A hundi worked like an early bill of exchange.
“More examples 5
- Radhika's grandmother always drops a ten-rupee note into the hundi.
राधिका की दादी हमेशा हुंडी में दस रुपये का नोट डालती हैं।
- In medieval India, merchants used hundis to send money safely over long distances.
मध्यकालीन भारत में व्यापारी लंबी दूरी पर सुरक्षित रूप से धन भेजने के लिए हुंडी का प्रयोग करते थे।
- Officials counted the hundi in the presence of the temple trustees.
अधिकारियों ने मंदिर के न्यासियों की उपस्थिति में हुंडी की गणना की।
- History books describe the hundi as a forerunner of the modern cheque.
इतिहास की पुस्तकें हुंडी को आधुनिक cheque का पूर्वरूप बताती हैं।
- The child shook the hundi to hear the coins rattle.
बच्चे ने सिक्कों की खनक सुनने के लिए हुंडी को हिलाया।
!Common mistakes 1
✗ He put the coins on the hundi.
✓ He put the coins in the hundi.
The money goes inside the box, so use in.
धन डिब्बे के अंदर जाता है, इसलिए 'in' का प्रयोग होता है।
⌂Word origin and word building
From Sanskrit, meaning a bill of exchange used in trade.
यह शब्द संस्कृत से आया है और व्यापार में प्रयुक्त हुंडी (bill of exchange) का अर्थ देता है।