bhang means A preparation made from the leaves and flowers of the cannabis plant, traditionally consumed in food or drink, especially during Hindu festivals such as Holi.
bhang is pronounced /ˈbæŋ/.
Why “bhang” is a great word
A preparation made from the leaves and flowers of the cannabis plant, traditionally consumed in food or drink, especially in the Indian subcontinent. From Hindustani بھانگ / भाँग (bhāṅg), from Sanskrit bhaṅgā (“hemp”), first recorded in English use in the late 1500s. Unlike “marijuana,” with its connotations of smoked recreation, or “hashish,” a refined and potent resin, bhang is the crude, ceremonial infusion—the plant rendered culinary and communal. It is the earthy paste ground on festival stones, the milky, green-tinged cup passed during Holi, the slow bloom of warmth through the body in a crowded temple courtyard—an ancient, social solvent softening the edges of the world.
Etymology
Transliteration of Hindustani بھانگ / भाँग (bhāṅg).
noun
- A preparation made from the leaves and flowers of the cannabis plant, traditionally consumed in food or drink, especially during Hindu festivals such as Holi.
- Cannabis or its preparations generally.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- bhanged 63% match — Under the effects of bhang (cannabis) or any comparable drug. vs bhang →
- ganja 59% match — Marijuana, the inflorescence of the Cannabis sativa plant, smoked or ingested for euphoric effect. vs bhang →
- banj 57% match — Hashish or henbane. vs bhang →
- harris 57% match — A dried preparation of the flowering tops or other parts of the cannabis plant used as a psychotropic drug. vs bhang →
- cannabev 56% match — A drink infused with tetrahydrocannabinol. vs bhang →
- dagga 55% match — Indian hemp, Cannabis sativa subsp. indica, or a similar plant of the species Leonotis leonurus. vs bhang →
- daccha 54% match — cannabis vs bhang →
- charas 54% match — Cannabis resin, used as an intoxicant in India. vs bhang →