Dabbawala
/ˌdæbəˈwɑːlə/noun
A person who collects, transports, and delivers lunchboxes, especially in Mumbai.
Did you know?Mumbai’s dabbawalas became famous for delivering enormous numbers of lunchboxes with remarkably few errors, turning an everyday food service into a globally studied system of human coordination.
Etymological Timeline
19th Century
Hindi/Marathi
ḍabbā
“A box, container, or small metal food carrier; the word’s deeper origin is uncertain.”
Medieval to Early Modern Period
Sanskrit/Hindi
vāla
“A person associated with, responsible for, or dealing with something.”
Late 19th Century
Hindi/Marathi
ḍabbā-vālā
“A person connected with boxes or lunch containers.”
Late 19th–Early 20th Century
Indian English
dabbawala
“A worker who collects and delivers lunchboxes, particularly in Bombay, now Mumbai.”
Modern English
English
dabbawala
“A Mumbai lunchbox courier, often referring collectively to the city’s highly organized delivery network.”
Explore more surprising origins