Kamboj
/kəmˈboʊdʒ/noun
A member of a historically Punjabi and northwestern South Asian ethnocultural community, also known as Kamboh or Kamboja.
Did you know?The Kambojas appear in ancient Indian literature as a northwestern people associated with frontier regions and, in some later sources, with skilled horsemen; their ultimate name-origin remains debated.
Etymological Timeline
Before the 3rd Century BCE
Sanskrit
Kamboja
“Name of an ancient people or region located somewhere in the northwestern cultural frontier of South Asia; the deeper origin is uncertain.”
3rd Century BCE
Prakrit/Sanskrit
Kamboja
“An ethnonym appearing in early South Asian political and geographical traditions.”
1st Millennium CE
Sanskrit
Kamboja
“A literary name associated with a northwestern people, sometimes portrayed in classical texts as connected with horses and warfare.”
Medieval Period
Punjabi and related Indo-Aryan languages
Kamboh
“A regional vernacular form referring to the same or closely related community.”
Modern English
English
Kamboj
“A modern spelling used as a community name and surname, especially among Punjabi populations.”