Where does “coolie” come from?
coolie (French) comes from English coolie, from Hindi क़ुली, from Turkish köle, from Ottoman Turkish كوله, from Proto-Turkic kȫle — slave, servant.
Ancestry of “coolie”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | coolie | An unskilled Asian worker, usually of Chinese or... |
| 2 | Hindi | क़ुली | porter; coolie; migrant labourer; slave; servant |
| 3 | Turkish | köle | slave |
| 4 | Ottoman Turkish | كوله | — |
| 5 | Proto-Turkic | kȫle | slave, servant |
Words derived from “coolie”