palankeen

Noun

palanquin (plural palanquins)

1. (India, historical) An enclosed human-borne litter or sedan chair, a large box with a chair, couch, or bed raised on horizontal poles and used as a mode of transport.
   • At the end of two moneths I determined to go for Goa in the companye of two other Portingale Merchants, which were making readye to depart, with two Palanchines or little Litters, which are very commodious for the waye, with eight Falchines which are men hired, to carrie the palanchines, eight for...1588, Thomas Hickok translating Cesare Federici as The Voyage and Trauaile of M. Caesar Frederick, Merchant of Venice into the East India, the Indies, and beyond the Indies..., p. 10

   Synonyms:

   andor

2. (broadly) Synonym of litter, any similar vehicle open or closed, human or animal-borne, particularly (historical) in colonial Asian contexts.
   • ... but the cars of chaste women have either coverings thrown over them, or white sheets hung over; for instance, on the cars of the female part of the family of the deceased Nawabs Khanduran and Muzaffar Khan, there used generally to be fastened thick dirty white cloths, and in like manner also on...1871, Sher Ali Afsos, translated by Henry Court, The Araish-i-Mahfil, or, The Ornament of the Assembly, page 31

   Synonyms:

   litter, any similar vehicle open or closed, human or animal-borne, particularly, palki