Etymograph

English

thuggee

Thuggee comes from Hindustani ठगी.

  1. Hindustanimodernठगी1ṭhagī
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1983thuggee1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English thuggee
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1983, Lawrence Durrell, Sebastian (Avignon Quintet): “‘In India, where everything began, this kind of human…”.

Lineage

  1. HindustanimodernठगीWiktionary, English thuggeeṭhagī
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1983thuggeeWiktionary, English thuggee. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1983, Lawrence Durrell, Sebastian (Avignon Quintet): “‘In India, where everything began, this kind of human…”

Every English word from Hindustani ठगी

Today it means

noun A thug (a member of band of assassins in India).

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “thuggee”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Hindustani ठगी / thuggee

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