ख़लासी

Hindi

FWOTD – 13 February 2021

Alternative forms

• खलासी (khalāsī) — nuqtaless

Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Persian خلاصی (xalāsī), an alteration of خلاشی (xalāšī, “sailor”). Compare Gujarati ખલાસી (khalāsī), Marathi खलाशी (khalāśī).

Pronunciation

• (Delhi) IPA^(key): /xə.lɑː.siː/, [xɐ.läː.siː], /kʰə.lɑː.siː/, [kʰɐ.läː.siː]

Noun

ख़लासी • (xalāsī) m (Urdu spelling خَلَاصِی)

1. railroad worker (involved in maintaining tracks, or as an attendant)
   • 2020 August 19, Hindustan Team, Sonbhadra, “सड़क हादसे में खलासी की मौत, चालक घायल [saṛak hādse mẽ khalāsī kī maut, cālak ghāyal]”, in LiveHindustan.com‎^[1], Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh:

     राबर्ट्सगंज कोतवाली क्षेत्र के हिंदुआरी तिराहे के समीप मंगलवार की रात सड़क हादसे में एक ट्रक के खलासी की मौत हो गई तथा चालक घायल हो गया।

     rābarṭsagañj kotvālī kṣetra ke hinduārī tirāhe ke samīp maṅgalvār kī rāt saṛak hādse mẽ ek ṭrak ke khalāsī kī maut ho gaī tathā cālak ghāyal ho gayā.

     On Tuesday night near the Hinduari Tihara [intersection of three roads], in the zone of the Robertsganj police station, a railroad-track khalasi was killed and a driver was wounded in a road accident.

2. (perhaps dated) khalasi: dockyard worker (engaged in manual labour for the maintenance of ships)
   1. fisherman who performs menial labour on a rig (e.g. sorting catch)

Declension

Declension of ख़लासी (masc ī-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	ख़लासी xalāsī	ख़लासी xalāsī
oblique	ख़लासी xalāsī	ख़लासियों xalāsiyõ
vocative	ख़लासी xalāsī	ख़लासियो xalāsiyo

Descendants

• English: khalasi, clashy