thuggee

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Hindi ठगी / Urdu ٿهگی (ṭhagī).

Pronunciation

• (British) IPA^(key): /θʌˈɡiː/
• (India) IPA^(key): /ʈʰʌ.ɡiː/, /ʈʰɑ.ɡiː/

Noun

thuggee (countable and uncountable, plural thuggees)

1. (historical, countable) A thug (member of band of assassins in India).
2. (historical, uncountable) The murder and robbery of groups of travellers in India.
   • 1983, Lawrence Durrell, Sebastian (Avignon Quintet), Faber & Faber, published 2004, page 1070:

     ‘In India, where everything began, this kind of human activity, obscene in itself, was undertaken on behalf of a goddess, called, I think, Kali; the murder was an act of so-called thugee, I was told.’

Alternative forms

• thagi, thuggi, thugi

Related terms

• thug
• thuggism