Peepul

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A large deciduous tree native to the Indian subcontinent, valued for its wide canopy and broad heart-shaped leaves
2. A tall spreading tree from India with wide leaves, often considered sacred in Hindu and Buddhist traditions
3. A substantial tree native to South Asia bearing broad foliage and revered in religious contexts throughout the region

Etymology: "Peepul" is the English name for the sacred fig tree, Ficus religiosa, and it arrived through Hindi and Urdu "pīpal" from Sanskrit "pippala." The Sanskrit word itself is the name the tree bore in South Asia, where it has long been revered, and English speakers borrowed the name directly from the languages of the subcontinent rather than from Greek or Latin. The word has a surprising kinship with two very ordinary English words. Linguists classify "peepul" as a doublet of "pepper" and "falafel," meaning all three descend from the same ancient root and reached English by different routes. The shared root reflects the Sanskrit "pippala," a term for berries and fruit, and the same stem travelled westward in different forms, giving English the spice name and, through Arabic-speaking regions, the chickpea fritter.