lathi

American  

[lah-tee] / ˈlɑ ti /

Or lathee

noun

Indian English.

1. a heavy pole or stick, especially one used as a club by police.

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lathi British  

/ ˈlɑːtɪ /

noun

1. a long heavy wooden stick used as a weapon in India, esp by the police

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Etymology

Origin of lathi

First recorded in 1840–50, lathi is from the Hindi word lāthī

Example Sentences

At the river, police with lathi sticks herded masses across pontoon bridges.

From Forbes • Sep. 26, 2014

Many of them then dashed the couple of miles into town to the hotel where both teams are staying, and police had to "use mild lathi" to curb over-exuberance.

From The Guardian • Jan. 17, 2013

In the pandemonium that followed, Nehru seized a policeman's steel-tipped bamboo lathi and, brandishing it aloft, cried at the crowd: "Stop this uproar!"

From Time Magazine Archive

The next swings his lathi jauntily; he does not know anything, he will not say.

From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya

Owing to the length of the lathi he was out of reach of the half pikes in the hands of the boatmen, who had to lunge either over or under the carts.

From In Clive's Command A Story of the Fight for India by Strang, Herbert