A manual laborer, especially one who carries loads or does heavy work. Historically used for Asian laborers, though now considered offensive in many contexts.
From Hindi कुली (kulī) and Tamil கூலி (kūli), both meaning 'wages' or 'hired laborer'. The word may ultimately derive from the name of the Koli people, a community in Gujarat. European colonizers adopted this term in the 17th-18th centuries to refer to Asian laborers, particularly those working in plantations, railways, and ports across the British Empire.
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