baniya
|ba-ni-ya|
/bəˈniːə/
Indian merchant/trader (caste)
Etymology
'baniya' originates from Hindi, specifically the word 'baniyā', which in turn comes from Prakrit; the root ultimately traces to Sanskrit 'vaṇij' meaning 'trader'.
'baniya' changed from the Sanskrit word 'vaṇij' (via Prakrit forms such as 'vanijja') into the Hindi/Indic form 'baniyā' and was adopted into English during the British colonial period to refer to members of that trading caste.
Initially it meant 'trader' or 'merchant' in the Indic languages; in English the core meaning has remained 'merchant/member of the trading caste', though in some contexts it acquired informal or mildly pejorative senses of being overly money‑minded.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a member of a traditional mercantile (Vaishya/Bania) community in India; a merchant or trader.
He comes from a baniya family of traders.
Synonyms
Noun 2
a merchant or businessperson; sometimes used informally or pejoratively to refer to a money‑minded or frugal trader.
Some villagers called him a baniya because he always negotiated hard over prices.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/11 15:24