Dooly

/ˈduːli/ noun

Definition

A variant spelling of doolie; a lightweight stretcher or platform used in India for carrying people or cargo.

Etymology

An alternative English spelling of the Hindi 'ḍholī,' with the '-y' ending reflecting how some British writers phonetically adapted the word.

Kelly Says

The '-y' spelling variant 'dooly' appears in older English texts, showing how English orthography wasn't standardized for borrowed words—writers spelled by ear, creating multiple correct forms of the same word.

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