noun
also pan·cha·yet or pun·cha·yet (ˌ)pənˈchäyət, -chīət
( -s )
Etymology: Hindi pañcāyat, from Sanskrit pañca five — more at five
1. : a village council in India:
a. : a former group of five influential older men acknowledged by the community as its governing body
b. : an elective council of about five members organized in the republic of India as an organ of village self-government
2. : a Parsi council of six dasturs and ten mobeds regulating secular affairs