abattoir
A slaughterhouse
amanuensis
A person who transcribes dictation; an artist's assistant
amphora
A tall, two-handled Grecian urn
Anglo-Indian
A person of mixed British and Indian ancestry, afforded some degree of privilege during the British occupation of India
apoplectic
Overcome with anger or indignation
apostate
A person who publicly rejects or denounces their religious tradition
ara
The room of a house in which treasure and wealth are stored
attar
A fragrant oil commonly used as perfume in the Middle East and South Asia
babu (slur)
Originally a title for a Hindu gentleman, used as a slur against people of Indian descent with English language abilities or education
Badagas
An indigenous community who primarily reside in the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu, India
beedi
a small, hand-rolled cigarette popular in the Indian subcontinent
Brahmin
Traditionally considered the highest caste in Hindu society
cairn
A pile of stones left to designate a specific site, often a burial mound
defervescing
The abatement of a fever
deification
Worship of a person or concept in the same way as a deity
dhobi
A caste in India whose traditional occupations are laundry and agricultural labor
didactic
Informative or educational, particularly in a morally superior or condescending way
diwan
A governing body, especially a finance department, an administrative office, or a regional government
eschar
Hardened, dead tissue that forms on the skin after traumas, such as burns and injuries.
exsanguination
Death by blood loss; a significant loss of blood
Fenian
An umbrella term for members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, an Irish nationalist group; the term is also pejoratively applied to any Irish Catholic person
Geordie
An English dialect spoken on the border of England and Scotland, often denoting a working-class background
The Gorbals
A neighborhood of Glasgow, historically considered one of Europe's most dangerous and overpopulated slums
Gosha
A term for high-caste Hindu and Muslim women who lived in purdah, or seclusion from the outside world
homeopathy
A pseudo-scientific medical treatment that proposes to treat ailments with extremely diluted substances
insinuation
A veiled suggestion at a different meaning
jaggery
A sweetener commonly used in Southeast Asia and Africa made of dried sugarcane juice or palm sap
jakey
A Scottish slang term for a person experiencing homelessness and alcoholism
kalighat
A style of paintings originating in Kolkata representing deities, stories, and common scenes, often purchased by pilgrims as religious icons
Kerala
A southern state on India's tropical Malabar Coast
LMP
Abbreviation for Licentiate Medical Practitioner; under the British occupation of India, an LMP was an Indian doctor who completed medical training and passed a standardized examination to practice medicine
Malayalam
A Dravidian language, closely related to Tamil, spoken throughout Kerala
mal de débarquement
A prolonged feeling of motion sickness after disembarking a ship, aircraft, or vehicle
maharajah
A Sanskrit term for an Indian prince or king
mahout
A person who cares for and rides elephants
Maramon Convention
An annual Christian gathering held in Pathanamthitta, Kerala, organized by the Mar Thoma Evangelistic Association
mohini
The Hindu goddess of enchantment, beauty, eroticism, and seduction
molay
Malayalam word for "daughter"
moribund
A person at the point of death; lacking in vitality of vigor
Mortui Vivos Docent
Latin for "The Dead will Instruct the Living"
mundu
A jacket-like garment worn around the waist, common in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Lakshadweep, and the Maldives
Nair
A caste group in Kerala notable for its military history and warrior culture
Naxalites
A Maoist insurgent group originating in India, named for a 1967 uprising in the village of Naxalbari, West Bengal
Onam
An annual harvest festival in Hindu culture celebrated primarily in Kerala
Parsi
The Zoroasatrian community of India and Pakistan who claim Persian ancestry
pas de deux
A ballet move performed by two dancers moving in unison, usually a male and female dancer
peon
A worker, particularly a day laborer or hospital orderly
plavu
The Malayalam word for a jackfruit tree
primordial
Ancient, predating civilization, existing from the beginning of time
puja
An act of worship in the Hindu tradition
Pulayar
A caste group in Kerala, India. During the 1900s, when The Covenant of Water is set, the Pulayar faced significant oppression, reduced opportunities, and ritual isolation from other caste groups.
Rangers
A Scottish football (soccer) club formerly based in Glasgow with a primarily Protestant fan base
sahib
In India, a polite form of address for a man, similar to "sir"
sepulchral
Relating to a tomb; grim and eerie
spurious
False or untrue despite appearances
stevedore
A dock worker employed to load or unload ship cargo
supercilious
Behaving with a sense of superiority or smugness
thamb'ran
Master of a household
thorthu
A multi-use white cloth used in throughout Kerala
vaidyan
A practitioner of Ayurvedic medicine
Vastu rules
A set of principles for arranging spaces, similar to Feng Shui in the Chinese tradition
zenith
Peak of mountain or high point of a situation
