What does bungalow mean?
A bungalow is a house built on a single level, usually low in profile with a sloping roof and frequently featuring a veranda or porch. The word entered English in the seventeenth century from Bengali and Hindi, describing the modest one-story dwellings that European colonists adopted in India. In Britain today, a bungalow simply means a single-story home, a form especially associated with comfortable retirement housing because it avoids stairs. In North America, the term is strongly tied to the compact Craftsman-style bungalows that were mass-built in the early twentieth century and are now prized by many buyers. The word carries connotations of modesty, ease, and informality rather than grandeur, though well-preserved period bungalows can command high prices. Its distinctive origin — an English word rooted in the name of a region of South Asia — makes it a memorable example of how colonial contact reshaped the vocabulary of everyday domestic life.
nounA low house, typically of one story, with a gently pitched roof and often a wide veranda; originally a style of dwelling built in India for European residents.
- A single-story house, typically low-roofed and often with a veranda.
- (Historical) A one-storied thatched or tiled dwelling of the type built in India, especially for Europeans.
"They retired to a sunny bungalow on the coast, where everything they needed was on one floor."
"The old couple downsized to a comfortable bungalow near their grandchildren."
"Colonial officials lived in whitewashed bungalows surrounded by broad verandas."
Standard regular plural, used when referring to multiple such houses, e.g. in housing developments or historical descriptions.
"The street was lined with identical bungalows built in the 1920s."
The word 'bungalow' comes from the Bengali word for 'of Bengal' — the British didn't invent it in suburbia; they borrowed it from Indian architecture over 400 years ago.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bungalow
Bungalow derives from the Hindi and Urdu term 'banglā', meaning literally 'of Bengal', which referred to the one-storied houses built in that region's style. English travelers and colonists adopted the word in the early seventeenth century, anglicizing it as 'bungalow' for the single-level residences they had built in India. The same South Asian root gives us the names Bengal and Bangladesh, making these rare true lexical relatives of the English house-word.
How bungalow is actually used
In American usage, 'bungalow' often refers to a specific Arts-and-Crafts-era small house style popular in the early 20th century; in British usage it more generally means any single-story house, often associated with retirement living.
Easily confused with bungalow
A cottage is traditionally a small rural or semi-rural dwelling, often with an upper floor, while a bungalow is specifically a single-story house.