Jugaad

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /d͡ʒʊˈɡɑːd/

Definitions

1. A practical and often improvised solution or workaround created with limited resources to solve a problem in an ingenious or unconventional manner
2. A clever and resourceful fix or workaround devised using whatever materials are at hand to address a difficulty in an unconventional way
3. An ingenious improvised remedy or expedient created from limited available resources to overcome a practical obstacle

Etymology: Hindi "jugāṛ" meant "joining" or "union," and it is related to the English word "yoke," which comes from the same ancient root for joining things under a shared load. The Hindi word is what gives English "jugaad" its core sense: making two unlike things work together by improvising. Over time the word moved from the act of joining to the ingenuity that makes an awkward makeshift arrangement function. The English term was borrowed from Hindi and carries the meaning of a clever, quick fix, often one made with whatever materials are at hand. Similar idioms exist in several Dravidian languages, such as Malayalam "taṭṭikkūṭṭŭ," meaning "put together," and Telugu "upāyamu," meaning a method or means, showing that the underlying idea of resourceful improvisation is widespread across South Asian speech.

Synonyms: hack, makeshift solution