A thin Indian cigarette made by rolling tobacco in a dried leaf, popular in South Asia.
From Hindi 'bīṛī,' a loanword that entered English through British colonial trade with India in the 19th century. The word may have Persian or Sanskrit origins relating to rolled leaf products.
Beedis are a fascinating example of cultural products shaping English vocabulary—they're so popular in South Asia that the word has become familiar in English despite being completely unknown in the West, showing how our 'global English' is actually many overlapping local varieties.
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