WALLA
\wˈɒlə], \wˈɒlə], \w_ˈɒ_l_ə]\
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WALLAH, wol'a, n. a worker, agent: fellow.--COMPETITION WALLAH, a term applied in Anglo-Indian colloquial speech to a member of the Civil Service who obtained appointment by the competitive system instituted in 1856. [Yule explains w[=a]l[=a] as a Hindi adjectival affix, corresponding in a general way to the Latin -arius. Its usual employment as affix to a substantive makes it frequently denote agent, doer, keeper, owner, &c.]
By Thomas Davidson
Word of the day
tinctura quininae ammoniata
- A preparation made by dissolving quinin sulphate in alcohol [Br. Ph.].