wallah

wal·lah

noun
\ˈwä-lə, in combination usually ˌwä-lə\

Definition of WALLAH

: a person who is associated with a particular work or who performs a specific duty or service —usually used in combination <the book wallah was an itinerant peddler — George Orwell>

Origin of WALLAH

Hindi & Urdu -vālā one in charge, from Sanskrit pāla protector, from pālayati, pārayati he guards; akin to Sanskrit piparti he brings over, saves, Old English faran to go — more at fare

First Known Use: 1782

Other Job Terms

factotum, milliner, ostler, scrivener, tinker, webster, wordsmith

Rhymes with WALLAH

Allah, gala, olla, tala