pungin.
/ˈpuːŋɡi/, /ˈpʊŋɡi/, U.S. /ˈpuŋɡi/, /ˈpʊŋɡi/ A South Asian double-reeded wind instrument, typically played with the nose.
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nose-flute1775
pungi1864
1864 C. Engel Music Most Anc. Nations 59 One of the most curious double-pipes at present extant in Asia is the poogyee of the Hindoos,..the tubes of which are inserted into a gourd, and are blown with the nose instead of with the mouth.
1876 J. Stainer & W. A. Barrett Dict. Musical Terms 364/2 Poogye, the nose-flute of the Hindoos.
1882 Jrnl. Anthropol. Inst. 11 403 In India..where the vansi or pungi have long been filled with the nostrils by snake charmers, performers at the festival of Nila-pûja.
1941 E. Linklater Man on my Back vi. 85 The pungi was made for snake-charming.
1951 M. L. Wolf Dict. Arts 558/2 Pungi, a Hindu musical instrument consisting of a gourd or nutshell into which two wooden pipes or reeds are inserted. It emits a droning or humming sound (esp. when played with the nose), and is the instrument commonly used by snakecharmers.
2000 S. Broughton et al. World Music: Rough Guide II. i. 98/1 There are several other itinerant castes, including the Sapera, traditional snake charmers who play the pungi (a double flute).
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2007; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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