Meaning
An infantryman; a soldier.
Etymology
Origin: Hindi
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ey- Proto-Indo-European *-u Proto-Indo-European *h₂óyu Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *h₂yéwHō Proto-Indo-Iranian *HyúHā Proto-Iranian *HyúHā Middle Persian [script needed] (yw'n /ǰuwān/) Classical Persian جَوَان (jawān)bor. Hindi जवान (javān)bor. English jawan Borrowed from Hindustani جوان (jvān) / जवान (javān), from Classical Persian جوان (jawān, “young, a youth”).
NYT Puzzle Appearances
No published puzzle dates on file for this word yet. It is part of the official NYT Spelling Bee word list for 2020, 2024.