See Also: coolie(dictionary)
coolie(dictionary)
coolie itch(medicine)

coolie (iou)



coolie noun & adjective. ['ku:li] Also cooly. L16.
[Sense A.1 formed as KOLI. Sense A.2 from Hindi, Telugu kuli day-labourer, prob. from Tamil, Telugu kuli hire; assoc. with Urdu &kdbelow;uli slave from Turkish.]
A. noun.
= KOLI noun. Now rare or obsolete. L16.
A (non-European) hired labourer or burden-carrier in India, China, and elsewhere. M17.
b. A person from the Indian subcontinent, a person of Indian descent. derog. & racially offensive. S. Afr. L19.
b. attrib. or as adjective. That is a coolie; of or pertaining to coolies. E19.
coolie hat a broad conical hat, usu. made of straw, similar to those worn in Asia by coolies.