‖ dāk Anglo-Ind.
(dɔːk, dɑːk)
Also 8- dawk, 8 dog, dock, 9 dork, dauk.
[Hindī and Marāthī ḍāk, perh. related to Skr. drāk quickly.]
a. Post or transport by relays of men or horses stationed at intervals; a relay of men or horses for carrying mails, etc., or passengers in palanquins.
to travel dāk: to travel in this way. to lay a dāk: to arrange for relays of bearers or horses on a route.
| 1727 [see b]. 1780 H. F. Thompson Intrigues of Nabob 76 (Y.), I wrote..for permission to visit Calcutta by the Dawks. 1781 Hicky's Bengal Gaz. 24 Mar. (Y.), Suffering People to paw over their Neighbour's Letters at the Dock. 1809 Visct. Valentia Trav. India, etc. (1811) I. ii. 49 My arrangements had been made for quitting Burhampore..not only had the dawk been laid, but [etc.]. a 1826 Heber Narr. Journey Ind. (1828) I. 328 In the line of road I am most likely to follow..I am not certain that any Dâk exists. 1840 E. E. Napier Scenes For. Lands II. vi. 193 By having bearers posted at stated distances, which is called travelling ‘dawk’, long journeys are made in a comparatively brief space of time. 1861 Hughes Tom Brown at Oxf. xliv. (D.), After the sea voyage there isn't much above 1000 miles to come by dauk. |
b. attrib., as dāk-bag, dāk-bearer, dāk choky, dāk journey, dāk traveller, etc.; dāk bungalow (rarely house), a house for the accommodation of travellers at a station on a dāk route; dāk-wallah, a letter-carrier.
| 1727 A. Hamilton New Acc. E. Ind. I. 149 (Y.) Those Curriers are called Dog Chouckies. 1796 in Seton-Karr Select. Calcutta Gaz. II. 185 The re-establishment of Dawk Bearers upon the new road. a 1826 Heber Narr. Journey Ind. (1828) I. 277, I will..bring it safe on to the next dâk-house. 1828 Asiatic Costumes 40 The dauk-wala is dispatched from the post-office every day with his bundle of letters. 1853 Calcutta Rev. July-Dec. 175 The dâk bungalows, the modern form of the Mogul Serais. 1866 Trevelyan (title), The Dawk Bungalow. Ibid. (1869) 98 Too old travellers to expect solitude in a dawk bungalow. 1872 E. Braddon Life in India vii. 260 The arrival at any village of the dâk-walla (letter-carrier) with a letter is an event to be remembered and talked of. 1923 Blackw. Mag. Nov. 678/2 My old dâk-wallah..had scented the battle from afar. 1926 Ibid. Nov. 587/1 An ‘Urgent’ dak bag arrived from the Agency with a letter from Baird. 1928 Ibid. Jan. 5/2 The correspondence came to an abrupt stop. Great soggy chunks of silence filled the incoming dâk-bag. |