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Today it means

cheroot

a cigar with both ends cut flat, without a tapered end

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Where does the word "cheroot" come from? It comes from Tamil curuttu, and was adopted directly into English (1600s-1700s).

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Where does the word "cheroot" come from? It comes from Tamil curuttu, and was adopted directly into English (1600s-1700s).

Cheroot’s story begins in Tamil: curuttu meant “a roll.” Literally "a roll", describing the rolled tobacco leaf. It reached English by 1600s-1700s as cheroot. Tamil 'curuttu', roll; Madras cheroots were popular with British officers. Today, cheroot means a cigar with both ends cut flat, without a tapered end.

  1. Stage 1 · Tamil · medieval curuttu "a roll", literally "a roll", describing the rolled tobacco leaf.
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1600s-1700s cheroot "a cigar with both ends cut flat", Tamil 'curuttu', roll; Madras cheroots were popular with British officers.

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