A leather worker or sweeper in India, traditionally from the lowest social caste in the historical caste system.
From Hindi चूहड़ा (chūhrā), derived from Sanskrit roots. The word referred to a specific occupational caste in the Indian subcontinent whose traditional role involved leather work and sanitation.
This word reveals how language reflects historical social structures—the fact that specific words existed for different job roles in the caste system shows how deeply embedded these divisions were in Indian society and language.
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