khāṭ
खाट
khāṭ
Hindi
“The Indian bed frame that became the hospital bed and baby's crib.”
Cot comes from Hindi खाट (khāṭ), a light bed frame with woven rope or fabric. British colonizers found these portable beds perfect for tropical climates.
In British English, 'cot' means a baby's bed (what Americans call a 'crib'). In Indian English, it still means any light bed frame.
The military adopted 'cot' for portable field beds. Hospitals use 'cot' for wheeled patient beds.
The Hindi bed frame scattered into multiple specialized meanings.
Related Words
Today
Cot has split into specialized uses: baby beds in Britain, hospital gurneys, camping beds. The Hindi original meant just 'bed frame.'
The rope-strung bed became institutional furniture.
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