lathi

Where does the word "lathi" come from? It comes from Hindi lathi, and was adopted directly into English (1840s).

Lathi’s story begins in Hindi: lathi meant “a wooden staff or stick.” The feminine form of lath, a wooden staff. It reached English by 1840s as lathi. British colonial administrators adopted the word for the bamboo staff used by Indian police. Today, lathi means a long, heavy stick, often of bamboo, traditionally used in South Asia as a weapon or police baton.

1. Stage 1 · Hindi · medieval lathi "a wooden staff or stick", the feminine form of lath, a wooden staff.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1840s lathi "a heavy bamboo staff used as a weapon or baton", British colonial administrators adopted the word for the bamboo staff used by Indian police.