1. Plural of palanquin; enclosed or open litters or sedan chairs carried on the shoulders of bearers, historically used in South Asia for transporting people.
Usage: historical; chiefly British colonial usage; also spelled 'palanquins'

Examples

• During the British Raj, wealthy officials traveled through Indian cities in palankeens carried by teams of bearers.
• The maharaja's palankeens were ornately decorated with silk and jewels.
• Servants carried the elderly woman in a palankeens to avoid the heat of the streets.
• Historical accounts describe palankeens as a common mode of transport for the upper classes in colonial India.
• The museum displayed a restored palankeens from the 18th century.