coolie

Where does the word "coolie" come from? It comes from Tamil kuli, passing through Portuguese and Hindi before entering English (17th c.).

Coolie’s story begins in Tamil: kuli meant “wages, hire.” Meant 'wages' or 'hire' among South Indian laborers. By 16th c., the word had taken hold in Portuguese as coolie. Portuguese traders in South India applied the word to hired laborers. From there it passed into Hindi as quli by medieval. Merged with an unrelated Gujarati tribal name and spread across India. It reached English by 17th c. as coolie. Entered English through colonial trade and labor systems. Today, coolie means a historical, now offensive, term for an unskilled Asian laborer hired cheaply under colonial-era labor systems.

1. Stage 1 · Tamil · medieval kuli "wages, hire", meant 'wages' or 'hire' among South Indian laborers.
2. Stage 2 · Portuguese · 16th c. coolie "a hired laborer", Portuguese traders in South India applied the word to hired laborers.
3. Stage 3 · Hindi · medieval quli "a hired laborer or porter", merged with an unrelated Gujarati tribal name and spread across India.
4. Stage 4 · English · 17th c. coolie "an unskilled laborer (now dated and offensive)", entered English through colonial trade and labor systems.