Where does “Kuli” come from?
Kuli (German) comes from German Kugelschreiber, from German Schreiber, from German schreiben, from Middle High German schrīben, from Old High German scrīban, from Proto-West Germanic skrīban, from Proto-Germanic skrībaną, from Latin scrībō — to write.
Kuli (German): coolie unskilled Asian worker, usually of Chinese or Indian descent
Definitions
- coolie unskilled Asian worker, usually of Chinese or Indian descent
Ancestry of “Kuli”, step by step
Kuli traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via German Kugelschreiber
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Kugelschreiber | ballpoint pen, biro |
| 2 | German | Schreiber | writer, author, scribe, scrivener; clerk; pen |
| 3 | German | schreiben | to write, write out; to spell, spell out; to... |
| 4 | Middle High German | schrīben | — |
| 5 | Old High German | scrīban | — |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | skrīban | to write |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | skrībaną | to write |
| 8 | Latin | scrībō | to write |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | skreiβō | to carve |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | skreybʰ- | to write |
via Hindi क़ुली
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hindi | क़ुली | porter; coolie; migrant labourer; slave; servant |
| 2 | Turkish | köle | slave |
| 3 | Ottoman Turkish | كوله | male slave |
| 4 | Proto-Turkic | kȫle | slave, servant |
via Urdu قلی
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Urdu | قلی | slave; laborer; coolie |