Biology:Ganja

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Short description: Hindustani word for cannabis
The word ganja written in graffiti in Seville, Spain

Ganja (/ˈɡændʒə/, US: /ˈɡɑːndʒə/; Hindi pronunciation: [ɡaːɲd͡ʒaː]) is one of the oldest and most commonly used synonyms for marijuana. Its usage in English dates to before 1689.[1]

Etymology

Ganja is borrowed from Hindi/Urdu gāñjā (Hindi: गांजा, Urdu: گانجا‎, IPA: [ɡaːɲd͡ʒaː]), a name for cannabis used as a drug, which is derived from Sanskrit gañjā, referring to a "powerful preparation from Cannabis sativa".[2][3][4][5][6] The word was used in Europe as early as 1856, when the British enacted a tax on the "ganja" trade.[7]

One academic source places the date of introduction of ganja in Jamaica at 1845.[8] The term came with 19th century workers whose descendants are now known as Indo-Jamaicans.[9]

Contemporary use of the term ganja

English use

Ganja is the most common term for marijuana in West Indies.[9][10]

In popular culture

In 1976, Peter Tosh defended the use of ganja in the song "Legalize It".[11] The hip hop group Cypress Hill revived the term in the United States in 2004 in a song titled "Ganja Bus", followed by other artists, including rapper Eminem, in the 2009 song "Must Be the Ganja".[7][12]

In other languages

Derivatives of the term are used as generic words for marijuana in several languages, such as Indonesian/Malay (ganja), Khmer (កញ្ឆា, kanhchhea), Lao (ກັນຊາ, kan sa), Thai (กัญชา, gancha), Tiwi (kanja),[13] and Vietnamese (cần sa).

References

  1. ↑ "10 Words From Hindi & Urdu". Merriam-Webster. https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/10-english-words-from-hindi-and-urdu/ganja. 
  2. ↑ Schwartz, Martin (2008). "Iranian L, and Some Persian and Zaza Etymologies". Iran & the Caucasus 12 (2): 281–287. doi:10.1163/157338408X406056. https://www.jstor.org/stable/25597374. 
  3. ↑ McGregor, R. S. (Ronald Stuart) (29 November 1993). "The Oxford Hindi-English dictionary". https://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/app/mcgregor_query.py?qs=%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%81%E0%A4%9C%E0%A4%BE&searchhws=yes. 
  4. ↑ Torkelson, Anthony R. (1996). "The Cross Name Index to Medicinal Plants, Vol. IV: Plants in Indian medicine, p. 1674, ISBN 9780849326356, OCLC 34038712". Taylor & Francis. https://books.google.com/books?id=trUgpMbT5gcC&pg=PA1674. 
  5. ↑ Kranzler, Henry R.; Korsmeyer, Pamela (2009). "Encyclopedia of Drugs, Alcohol & Additive Behaviour". Gale. p. 28. https://books.google.com/books?id=rspaDwAAQBAJ&pg=RA3-PA28. 
  6. ↑ Steinmetz, Katy (20 April 2017). "420 Day: Why There Are So Many Different Names for Weed". Time (magazine). http://time.com/4747501/420-day-weed-marijuana-pot-slang/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Linder, Courtney (19 April 2015). "Pot patois: A comprehensive etymology of marijuana". http://pittnews.com/article/1195/opinions/pot-patois-a-comprehensive-etymology-of-marijuana/. 
  8. ↑ Home Away from Home: 150 Years of Indian Presence in Jamaica, 1845-1995. I. Randle Publishers. 1999. p. 127. ISBN 9768123397. https://archive.org/details/homeawayfromhome00mans. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Lisa Rough (14 May 2015). "Jamaica's Cannabis Roots: The History of Ganja on the Island". Leafly. https://www.leafly.com/news/lifestyle/jamaicas-roots-the-history-of-ganja-on-the-island. 
  10. ↑ Courtwright, David T. (2009). Forces of Habit. Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674029-90-3. https://books.google.com/books?id=GHqV3elHYvMC. 
  11. ↑ Law and Religion in Africa: The quest for the common good in pluralistic societies. African Sun Media. 2015. p. 186. ISBN 978-1-919985-63-3. https://books.google.com/books?id=IgjTCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA186. 
  12. ↑ Rafael Pérez-Torres (2006). Mestizaje: Critical Uses of Race in Chicano Culture. U of Minnesota Press. pp. 97–. ISBN 978-0-8166-4595-4. https://books.google.com/books?id=GI_9h27AHLQC&pg=PA97. 
  13. ↑ Dictionary AuSIL




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