4th-5th Grade Spelling List (3- Asian)

dugong-[doo-gong, -gawng]-noun- an herbivorous, aquatic mammal, Dugong dugon,  of the Red Sea and Indian Ocean, having a barrel-shaped body, flipperlike forelimbs, no hind limbs, and a triangular tail: widespread but rare.   The reef is home to tremendous coral diversity as well as numerous species of fish and marine mammals such as the dugong .

guru- [goor-oo, goo-roo]-noun- Hinduism. a preceptor giving personal religious instruction; an intellectual or spiritual guide or leader.   Every generation get the self-help guru it deserves. cushy- [koo sh-ee]-adj.- involving little effort for ample rewards; easy and profitable.     Some people have an idea that the people who work in public service have cushy jobs. 

 seersucker- [seer-suhk-er]-noun- a plainwoven cotton, rayon, or linen fabric: traditionally a striped cotton with alternate stripes crinkled in the weaving.   Her father wore a blue seersucker suit, a salmon-pink shirt and a chartreuse bow tie. 

jungle- [juhng-guh l]-noun- a wild land overgrown with dense vegetation, often nearly impenetrable, especially tropical vegetation or a tropical rain forest.   The village is situated in a mountainous area with jungle surroundings. 

oolong- [oo-lawng, -long]-noun- a brown or amber tea grown in China and Taiwan and partially fermented before being dried.   Oolong tea does not improve glucose metabolism in non-diabetic adults. 

nirvana- [nir-vah-nuh, -van-uh, ner-]-noun- Buddhism. freedom from the endless cycle of personal reincarnations, with their consequent suffering, as a result of the extinction of individual passion, hatred, and delusion: attained by the Arhat as his goal but postponed by the Bodhisattva.    For some people, a state of deep focus is office nirvana.   

bangle- [bang-guh l]-noun- a rigid, ring-shaped bracelet usually made without a clasp so as to slip over the hand, but sometimes having a hinged opening and a clasp.   This is a very cool retro vintage bangle, dating to circa 1967. 

cummerbund- [kuhm-er-buhnd]-noun- a wide sash worn at the waist, especially a horizontally pleated one worn with a tuxedo.   The waiters hovered about in white uniforms with red cummerbunds. 

juggernaut- [juhg-er-nawt, -not]- ( often lowercase ) any large, overpowering, destructive force or object, as war, a giant battleship, or a powerful football team.     For a while, we stopped the corporate Juggernaut.
pangolin- [pang-guh-lin, pang-goh-]-noun- any mammal of the order Pholidota, of Africa and tropical Asia, having a covering of broad, overlapping, horny scales and feeding on ants and termites.   The environment in which you are keeping the pangolin, should be at least 36 degrees up to 42 degrees.  

mahatma- [muh-haht-muh, -hat-]-noun- a Brahman sage; (especially in India) a person who is held in the highest esteem for wisdom and saintliness.   Mohandas Ghandi was name a mahtma for his wisdom.  

rupee- [roo-pee, roo-pee]-noun- a cupronickel coin and monetary unit of India, Nepal, and Pakistan, equal to 100 paise. Abbreviation:  R., Re.    The inflow of foreign capital would put upward pressure on the rupee . 

mongoose- [mong-goos, mon-]-noun- a slender, ferretlike carnivore, Herpestes edwardsi,  of India, that feeds on rodents, birds, and eggs, noted especially for its ability to kill cobras and other venomous snakes.   Meerkats are the only members of the mongoose family without a bushy tail. 

shampoo- [sham-poo]-noun- a preparation used for shampooing, especially one that does not leave a soap film.     She found out that less expensive shampoo can be just as good as expensive shampoo.

typhoon- [tahy-foon]-noun- a tropical cyclone or hurricane of the western Pacific area and the China seas.    The other problem with summer travel is that you could wind up traveling in typhoon season. 

bamboo- [bam-boo]-noun- any of the woody or treelike tropical and semitropical grasses of the genera Bambusa, Phyllostachys, Dendrocalamus,  and allied genera, having woody, usually hollow stems with stalked blades and flowering only after years of growth.   He sometimes carried a bamboo cane in his right hand.

jackal- [jak-uhl, -awl]-noun- any of several nocturnal wild dogs of the genus Canis,  especially C. aureus,  of Asia and Africa, that scavenge or hunt in packs.    We again saw the jackal we had seen coming to the pool to drink the previous evening.

dungaree- [duhng-guh-ree]- work clothes, overalls, etc., of blue denim.   He is wearing red dungarees with a white pocket on the front.

 bungalow- [buhng-guh-loh]-noun- a derivation of the Indian house type, popular especially during the first quarter of the 20th century, usually having one and a half stories, a widely bracketed gable roof, and a multi-windowed dormer and frequently built of rustic materials.     They built a bungalow style home next to the beach. 

gunnysack- [guhn-ee-sak]- a sack made of gunny or burlap.   Each rabbit was put in a gunnysack or box and ferried to bunny mounds and other high ground. 

chutney- [chuht-nee]-noun- a sauce or relish of East Indian origin, often compounded of both sweet and sour ingredients, as fruits and herbs, with spices and other seasoning.   The chicken  was smothered with goat cheese and mango chutney. 

karma- [kahr-muh]-noun- Hinduism, Buddhism. action, seen as bringing upon oneself inevitable results, good or bad, either in this life or in a reincarnation: in Hinduism one of the means of reaching Brahman.    If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself.

jute- [joot]-noun- a strong, coarse fiber used for making burlap, gunny, cordage, etc., obtained from two East Indian plants, Corchorus capsularis  and C. olitorius,  of the linden family.    

The secondary backing on all anchor carpets is natural woven jute. 

yamen- [yah-muh n]-noun- (in the Chinese Empire) the residence or office of a public official.    The official stayed locked in his yamen until the crowds dispersed. 

raj- [rahj]-noun- (in India) rule, especially the British rule prior to 1947.

Eminent speakers spoke on the history and heritage of raj bhavan and calcutta.

kama- [kah-muh]-noun- pot or kettle made of cast iron, and are used to heat the water used to make tea.   The kama is either heated over a portable brazier or in a sunken hearth built into the floor of

the tea room. 

pundit-[puhn-dit]-noun- a learned person, expert, or authority.    Throughout this time he kept his eye on the main chance, the prospect of becoming an art pundit.

loot- [loot]-noun- spoils or plunder taken by pillaging, as in war.     Carpetbaggers were ready to loot and plunder the defeated South. 

kavya- [kahv-yuh]-noun- a type of classical Sanskrit devotional poetry.

Other characteristics of the kavya style are hyperbole.

jiva- [jee-vuh]-noun- Hinduism-the individual soul, regarded as a particular manifestation of Atman.    Jiva is a living being or more specifically the immortal essence of a living being which

survives physical death.

chintz- [chints]-noun- a printed cotton fabric, glazed or unglazed, used especially for draperies.

Mark my words, chintz, brown furniture and handmade pieces are back.                                                     

 Challenge Words

gymkhana- [jim-kah-nuh]-noun- a field day held for equestrians, consisting of exhibitions of horsemanship and much pageantry.   The track was used for gymkhana events, braking, starting and stopping tests and other stunts.

basmati- [bahs-mah-tee]-noun- a variety of cultivated long-grain rice that is notably fragrant.

White rice is normally used in this common dish, but brown basmati is even better. 

gingham- [ging-uh m]-noun- yarn-dyed, plain-weave cotton fabric, usually striped or checked.

Though no cooking is required of her, she ties a gingham apron around her tiny waist the second she arrives. 

mandir-[mahn-de-uh]-noun-a Hindu or Jain temple.  Mandir is a place of worship for followers of Hinduism.  

bhalu-[bah-lu]-noun-bear, specifically sloth bear.   The bhalu lives in the wilds of Asia.

gourami- [goo-rah-mee]-noun- a large, air-breathing, nest-building, freshwater Asiatic fish, Osphronemus goramy,  used for food.    They sell fresh gourami in the markets by the dock. 
masala-[ma-sah-luh, ma-sahl-uh]-noun- mixture of spices ground into a paste, used in Indian cookery.    It is often served as masala chai with milk and sugar, and sometimes scented.  

raita- [rahy-tuh]-noun- an Indian condiment consisting of yogurt, spices, and diced or grated vegetables or fruits.     Raitas are very common dips made in India, usually served after a spicy meal. 
asana- [ah-suh-nuh]-noun- any of the postures in a yoga exercise.     The philosophy of an asana practice lies in its mindful execution, not in how far one can go in each pose. 
batik- [buh-teek, bat-ik]-noun- a technique of hand-dyeing fabrics by using wax as a dye repellent to cover parts of a design, dyeing the uncovered fabric with a color or colors, and dissolving the wax in boiling water.   His films used batik, collage and optical printing to create a tumult of shapes and images.  
charpoy- [chahr-poi]-noun- a light bedstead used in India, consisting of a web of rope or tape netting.  The word charpoy is defined as a type of a common bedstead or cot in India that was made from a bamboo frame. 
durwan-[duhr-wahn]-noun-porter; doorkeeper.  The man had worked as a durwan most of his life. mahout- [muh-hout]-noun- the keeper or driver of an elephant, especially in India and the East Indies.  The donation covers not only vet bills but also the salary of the beast's mahout, or elephant handler. 

prabhu-[prah-dooh]noun- master or the supreme lord; also used by male devotees of the Hindu deity Lord Krishna/Vishnu.    As prabhu means God my friends, colleagues sometimes call me god. 
Buddha- [boo-duh, boo d-uh]-noun- Indian religious leader: founder of Buddhism.    Buddha followers as the most recent re-discoverers of the path to enlightenment. 
topeng-[toh-penj] -noun- an Indonesian form of dance drama in which one or more dancers wear masks and perform ancient stories.  They danced the topeng for the dignitaries. 
tanha-[tan-hay]-noun- craving or desire to hold onto pleasurable experiences, to be separated from painful or unpleasant experiences, and for neutral experiences or feelings not to decline.    The Buddha identified taṇhā as a principal cause in the arising of dukkha or suffering, anxiety, dissatisfaction. 
lahar- [lah-hahr]-noun-Geology- a landslide of wet volcanic debris on the side of a volcano.

The lahar was terrifyingly high and steaming hot, they reported. 
jnana- [juh-nah-nuh]-noun-Hinduism- knowledge acquired through meditation and study as a means of reaching Brahman.      This wisdom, particularly in the field of spirituality, is called jnana. 
Holi- [hoh-lee]-noun- the Hindu spring festival.    Holi is a popular Hindu spring festival,  it means the Festival of Colors.