Hobson-Jobson: A Glossary of Colloquial Anglo-Indian Words and Phrases, and of Kindred Terms, Etymological, Historical, Geographical and Discursive c10.15749

c10.15749

It is apparently from the Skt. *vadana*, ". . . the act of speaking . . . the mouth, face, countenance . . . the front, point," &c. In Javanese *wadana* (or *wadono*, in Jav. pronunciation) is "the face, front, van; a chief of high rank: a Javanese title" (*Crawfurd*, s.v.). The Javanese title is, we imagine, now only traditional; the Ceylonese one has followed the usual downward track of high titles; we can hardly doubt the common Sanskrit origin of both (see *Athenaeum*, April 1, 1882, p. 413, and May 13, *ibid.* p. 602). The derivation given by Alwis is probably not inconsistent with this.