Definitions
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. In Hindustan, a secretary; also, an interpreter; a teacher of languages.
Wiktionary
- n. An Indian teacher of languages, especially Hindustani and Persian.
- n. A Muslim harkaras.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. India A Mohammedan professor or teacher of language.
Examples
“The boys lost not a moment in sending down to Madras, to engage the services of a native "moonshee" or teacher.”
“On one occasion a moonshee of Major Pottinger, who had escaped from Charekhar, named Mohun Beer, came direct from the presence of Mahomed”
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine — Volume 53, No. 328, February, 1843
“There is not an Indian moonshee, nor a citizen of the Celestial Empire, some of whose ancestors came from the nocturnal orb, who does not know better than that.”
“Townsend had an active, eager spirit, and he and the moonshee tired the sun with talk.”
“With the moonshee he had many long talks upon those subjects on which the intellectual Brahmins have discoursed and delighted to discourse ever since the day when Alexander took his bevy of Hellenic Sophists across the Indus.”
“Townsend used to say of the moonshee, “If there is a heaven, that old man is there.””
“At this place we found the usual _jemadar_, a _duffadar_, and four men, and were cordially received by the _palawan's_ moonshee, a nice fellow who wore a peaked turban of gigantic size, and a brown coat beautifully embroidered on the back and sleeves with violet-coloured silk.”
Across Coveted Lands or a Journey from Flushing (Holland) to Calcutta Overland
“There were nine rooms -- some boasting of wooden doors -- at the end of the large court, but all were occupied by the seven _sawars_, the postal _moonshee_, the three”
Across Coveted Lands or a Journey from Flushing (Holland) to Calcutta Overland
“The water is very good at this place; there is a shop with the usual supplies for caravans, and a staff consisting of a _jemadar_, a _duffadar_, one postal moonshee, seven _sawars_, four _hasildars_, one _havildar_.”
Across Coveted Lands or a Journey from Flushing (Holland) to Calcutta Overland
“In the old daguerreotype here reproduced he is seen sitting, by his moonshee, a Brahmin of the highest caste, -- see the mystic Brahmin thread which the Jesuits were accused of wearing, -- from whom he learned”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘moonshee’.
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Humours of Old Bombay
Terms that call to mind British India.
palkee, chee-chee, dorian, Hindoo, dinghee-wallah, garee, hamal, banghy, hookah-bardar, dak, ghat, mussalchee and 133 more...
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Trusty Assistants
right-hand man, amanuensis, moonshee, man Friday, PDA, famulus, aide, lieutenant, deputy, Man Friday, girl Friday, reading-boy and 25 more...
Tweets
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