cooly

US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling(ko̅o̅′lē)


WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
coo•ly  (ko̅o̅′lē),USA pronunciation n., pl. -lies., adj. 
  1. coolie.

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
coo•lie /ˈkuli/USA pronunciation   n. [countable], pl. -lies. 
  1. a worker or laborer hired at very low wages for unskilled work, esp. formerly in the Far East.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
coo•lie  (ko̅o̅′lē),USA pronunciation n. [Offensive.]
  1. Slang Termsan unskilled laborer, esp. formerly in China and India.
  2. Slang Termsan unskilled laborer employed cheaply, esp. one brought from Asia.

adj. 
  1. [Informal.]characteristic of or suitable for a coolie:working for coolie wages.
Also, cooly. 
  • Tamil kūli hire, hireling
  • Urdu kūlī
  • 1545–55

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
coolie, cooly / ˈkuːlɪ/ ( -ies)
  1. (in China, India, and some other countries) a cheaply hired unskilled labourer
Etymology: 17th Century: from Hindi kulī, probably of Dravidian origin; related to Tamil kūli hire, hireling
'cooly' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
coolie

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