Imphal

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The capital city of Manipur, a state in the far northeast of India, lying in a valley surrounded by hills
2. A city in northeastern India that serves as the administrative center of the Indian state of Manipur
3. The main urban center of Manipur, an Indian state in the northeast, known for its hilly valley setting

Etymology: Imphal is a city in northeastern India, the capital of the state of Manipur, and the name comes from the Manipuri language spoken there. The Manipuri word "ʼimphāl" is the source from which English borrowed the name, so the place name reached English as a direct loan rather than through a European language. The word itself is a proper noun, and its meaning is tied to the place it names rather than to any general sense. Readers who meet it in news reports about the region or in histories of the Second World War, when the city was a key battleground, are encountering the same name that Manipuri speakers have used for the city all along.