mulligatawny

Where does the word "mulligatawny" come from? It comes from Tamil milagu thanni, and was adopted directly into English (1700s-1800s).

Mulligatawny’s story begins in Tamil: milagu thanni meant “pepper water.” Literally "pepper water", a spiced soup. It reached English by 1700s-1800s as mulligatawny. Adapted by the British in colonial India into a spiced soup. Today, mulligatawny means a spiced soup of South Indian origin, often made with meat and vegetables.

1. Stage 1 · Tamil · medieval milagu thanni "pepper water", literally "pepper water", a spiced soup.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1700s-1800s mulligatawny "a spiced meat and vegetable soup", adapted by the British in colonial India into a spiced soup.