A variant spelling of coolie, an unskilled laborer, particularly from Asia, hired for manual work.
From Hindi 'kuli' or Tamil 'kuli,' borrowed into English during colonial times. The term has problematic colonial associations with exploited workers.
The word 'coolie' is literally from Hindi and represents one of history's sad realities—thousands of Indian and Chinese workers called coolies built railroads and ports under terrible conditions!
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