1866.—"A dense jungle of bamboo, through which we had to cut a way, taking it by turns to lead, and hew a path through the tough stems with my 'kukri,' which here proved of great service."—Lt.-Col. T. Lewin, A Fly on the Wheel, p. 269.
KOOMKY, s. (See [COOMKY].)
KOONBEE, KUNBEE, KOOLUMBEE, n.p. The name of the prevalent cultivating class in Guzerat and the Konkan, the Kurmī of N. India. Skt. kuṭumba. The Kunbī is the pure Sudra, [but the N. India branch are beginning to assert a more respectable origin]. In the Deccan the title distinguished the cultivator from him who wore arms and preferred to be called a Mahratta (Drummond).
[1598.—"The Canarijns and Corumbijns are the Countrimen."—Linschoten, Hak. Soc. i. 260.
[c. 1610.—"The natives are the Bramenis, Canarins and Coulombins."—Pyrard de Laval, Hak. Soc. ii. 35.
[1813.—"A Sepoy of the Mharatta or Columbee tribe."—Forbes, Or. Mem. 2nd ed. i. 27.]
KOOT, s. Hind. kuṭ, from Skt. kushṭa, the costum and costus of the Roman writers. (See under [PUTCHOCK].)
B.C. 16.—"Costum molle date, et blandi mihi thuris honores."—Propertius, IV. vi. 5.
c. 70-80.—"Odorum causâ unguentorumque et deliciarum, si placet, etiam superstitionis gratiâ emantur, quoniam tunc supplicamus et costo."—Pliny, Hist. Nat. xxii. 56.
c. 80-90.—(From the Sinthus or Indus) "ἀντιφορτίζεται δὲ κόστος, βδέλλα, λύκιον, νάρδος...."—Periplus.