Definition

(Noun) A covered conveyance, usually for one person, consisting of a large box carried on two horizontal poles by four or six (rarely two) bearers, used especially in South, South-East, and East Asia.

In Context

“At this time of year the British preferred to travel even the shortest distance by palanquin, hoisted on the shoulders of four Indian bearers.”

Kate Teltscher, The High Road to China: George Bogle, the Panchen Lama and the First British Expedition to Tibet, 2006.