Pattah
/ˈpʌtə/noun
An Indian deed or document granting rights to land.
Did you know?In colonial India, a pattah could formalize a cultivator’s rights to land, making the document itself a powerful symbol of authority and ownership.
Etymological Timeline
Sanskrit period
Sanskrit
paṭṭa
“A strip, band, cloth, or tablet; the word later developed administrative senses.”
Medieval Indo-Aryan
Prakrits
paṭṭa
“A strip, tablet, or written record.”
Medieval India
Hindi
paṭṭā
“A lease, title, or document granting rights to land.”
Medieval India
Persianate administration
paṭṭā
“A formal land grant or written tenure document used in revenue administration.”
18th–19th Century
Anglo-Indian English
patta / pattah
“A deed or lease granting land rights.”
Modern English
English
pattah
“An Indian land deed or tenure document.”
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