Where does “kuli” come from?

kuli (Malay) comes from Hindi क़ुली, from Turkish köle, from Ottoman Turkish كوله, from Proto-Turkic kȫle — slave, servant.

Ancestry of “kuli”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Hindiक़ुलीporter; coolie; migrant labourer; slave; servant
2Turkishköleslave
3Ottoman Turkishكولهmale slave
4Proto-Turkickȫleslave, servant

Words derived from “kuli”

Every word from Proto-Turkic kȫle →