A laborer or porter, typically hired for manual work in colonial India or other parts of Asia.
From Hindi kuli, possibly derived from Tamil kuli meaning 'hire' or 'wages.' The term entered English during the colonial period and became associated with indentured laborers from India and China.
This word reveals the linguistic legacy of colonialism—it started as a local Indian term for workers but became a standard English word used by colonial powers to describe the people they employed, showing how language reflects power dynamics.
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