koelie

K5O1E1L1I1E1

A form of coolie — An unskilled Asian worker, usually of Chinese or Indian descent; a labourer; a porter. Coolies were frequently transported to other countries in the 19th and early 20th centuries as indentured labourers.

OriginAfrikaans koelie →
Scrabble 10
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Meanings

nounkoelie (plural koelies)

plural koelies

  1. South AfricaalternativeAlternative spelling of coolie.

Origin

  1. Afrikaanskoelie
  2. Afrikaanskoelie
  3. Englishkoelie

Borrowed from Afrikaans koelie.

More words from Afrikaans

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

koelie. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/koelie

MLA

“koelie.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/koelie. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “koelie,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/koelie.

Source: koelie on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.