bhangi

American  

[buhng-gee] / ˈbʌŋ gi /

Or bhungi

noun

Indian English.

plural

bhangis

1. Often Disparaging and Offensive. a member of one of the lowest castes of untouchables in India, traditionally relegated to work that included sweeping, handling dead bodies, or cleaning toilets.

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Sensitive Note

The use of bhangi to reference the caste status of a person or group is often offensive in and of itself. However, the word is always offensive when used as an insult or as a proxy term for slovenliness, contamination, or poverty. When used loosely to describe an undesirable, poor, or dirty state, bhangi is considered a slur.

Etymology

Origin of bhangi

From Hindi bhaṅgī, literally, “user of bhang ”