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coolie

[ koo-lee ]

noun

, Disparaging and Offensive.
  1. an unskilled laborer, especially formerly in China and India.
  2. an unskilled laborer employed cheaply, especially one brought from Asia.
  3. a contemptuous term used to refer to an Asian, especially an Indian living in South Africa.


adjective

  1. Informal. characteristic of or suitable for a coolie:

    working for coolie wages.

coolie

/ ˈkuːlɪ /

noun

  1. a cheaply hired unskilled Oriental labourer
  2. derogatory.
    an Indian living in South Africa
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Sensitive Note

Both meanings of “unskilled Asian laborer” are found almost exclusively in historical contexts, suggesting imperialistic exploitation of these workers. But coolie is still current as an insulting term used to refer to a person of Asian descent, especially in South Africa.
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Word History and Origins

Origin of coolie1

First recorded in 1545–55; from Urdu kūlī, from Tamil kūli “hire, hireling”
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Word History and Origins

Origin of coolie1

C17: from Hindi kulī, probably of Dravidian origin; related to Tamil kūli hire, hireling
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Example Sentences

A coolie would pay as much as 400 pesos premium to find himself where he could earn up to 100 pesos per month.

The coolie-track had led them into the widest part of the Maidan, where it slopes to the south, and the huts of Bowanipore.

I made my way with one coolie to a spot some little distance above our First Advanced Camp.

As the night was closing in a coolie was observed running down the last steep sandy slope to our camp.

One coolie, and then two others, fell out and could not be induced to come further.

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