durbar

noun

dur·​bar ˈdər-ˌbär 

ˌdər-ˈbär

1

: court held by an Indian prince

2

: a formal reception held by an Indian prince or an African ruler

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Both foreground mounted Hausa riders in ceremonial durbar dress against a backdrop of iconographic Western figures – Zeus, Europa, Napoleon. —Matthew Carey Salyer, Forbes, 4 May 2021

The final ritual is the durbar, similar to a bar mitzvah, quinceañera, or dipo of the Krobo tribe of Ghana. —Alexandreena Dixon, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 Aug. 2017

Word History

Etymology

Hindi & Urdu darbār, from Persian, from dar door + bār admission, audience

First Known Use

1609, in the meaning defined at sense 1