thuggee

American

[thuhg-ee, thuh-gee] / ˈθʌg i, θʌˈgi /

noun

(sometimes initial capital letter)

(in India) robbery and strangulation committed by thugs.

thuggee British

/ θʌˈɡiː /

noun

history the methods and practices of the thugs of India

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of thuggee

First recorded in 1830–40, thuggee is from the Hindi word thagī

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

By 1841, the cult of Thuggee had been "practically destroyed."

From Time Magazine Archive

At first he couldn't even obtain official recognition that the cult, known as Thuggee, really existed.

From Time Magazine Archive

I gathered from what he said that the basis of the Thuggee society is the worship of Bowhani, a frightful demon, whose highest joy is the sight of death or dead bodies.

From Cord and Creese by De Mille, James

Was our own Government wrong in suppressing Thuggee in India?

From Critiques and Addresses by Huxley, Thomas Henry

In due course he was appointed to the office of General Superintendent of the Operations against Thuggee, which had been held by his uncle.

From Rambles and Recollections of an Indian Official by Sleeman, William

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023