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coolie definition

coo·lie (ko̵̅o̅′lē)

noun

  1. an unskilled native laborer, esp. formerly, in India, China, etc.
  2. a person doing heavy labor for little pay

Etymology: Hindi qulī, hired servant, prob. < kolī, name of a tribe or caste of Gujarat

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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