1
Stage 1 of 3
catuska
Sanskrit · ancient
"four-sided"
meant 'consisting of four, quadrangular'
2
Stage 2 of 3
chauki
Hindi · medieval
"a police post, customs house, or lockup"
narrowed to mean a four-sided guardhouse, customs post, or police station
3
Stage 3 of 3
chokey
English · 1698
"prison, jail"
British soldiers and traders adopted the word for a lockup, later general slang for jail
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