Glossary of Bangla Terms

aushtomashi bandhs temporary (eight-month) earthen dykes

bagda chingri saltwater tiger prawn (Penaeus monodon)

bhejal impure, adulterated, corrupted

bidesh foreign land, abroad

bish poison

bonna irregular destructive floods in the wake of cyclones, tidal surges, and storms

borsha monsoon floods

chakri regular, salaried employment

desi local, of the land, indigenous

ghar jamai resident son-in-law

gher enclosed dike for aquaculture

ghush bribe

golda chingri giant freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii)

jalabaddho drainage congestion, waterlogging

jomi land

kaj irregular work

kechu earthworms

khal canal

khas government owned

shakti power, strength, life force

shangkar hybrid

shoshurbari in-law’s home