1563.—"R. And does not the Indian costus grow in Guzarate?
"O. It grows in territory often subject to Guzarat, i.e. lying between Bengal and Dely and Cambay, I mean the lands of Mamdou and Chitor...."—Garcia, f. 72.
1584.—"Costo dulce from Zindi and Cambaia."—Barret, in Hakl. ii. 413.
KOOZA, s. A [goglet], or pitcher of porous clay; corr. of Pers. kūza. Commonly used at Bombay.
[1611.—"One sack of cusher to make coho."—Danvers, Letters, i. 128.]
1690.—"Therefore they carry about with them Kousers or Jarrs of Water, when they go abroad, to quench their thirst...."—Ovington, 295.
[1871.—"Many parts of India are celebrated for their Coojahs or guglets, but the finest are brought from Bussorah, being light, thin, and porous, made from a whitish clay."—Riddell, Ind. Domest. Econ., 362.]
KOSHOON, s. This is a term which was affected by Tippoo Sahib in his military organisation, for a brigade, or a regiment in the larger Continental use of that word. His Piādah 'askar, or Regular Infantry, was formed into 5 Kachahris (see [CUTCHERRY]), composed in all of 27 Kushūns. A MS. note on the copy of Kirkpatrick's Letters in the India Office Library says that Kushoon was properly Skt. kshuni or kshauni, 'a grand division of the force of an Empire, as used in the Mahābhārata.' But the word adopted by Tippoo appears to be Turki. Thus we read in Quatremère's transl. from Abdurrazzāk: "He (Shāh Rukh) distributed to the emirs who commanded the tomāns (corps of 10,000), the koshūn (corps of 1000), the sadeh (of 100), the deheh (of 10), and even to the private soldiers, presents and rewards" (Nots. et Exts. xiv. 91; see also p. 89). Again: "The soldiers of Isfahan having heard of the amnesty accorded them, arrived, koshūn by koshūn." (Ibid. 130.) Vambéry gives ḳoshūn as Or. Turki for an army, a troop (literally whatever is composed of several parts).
[1753.—"... Kara-kushun, are also foot soldiers ... the name is Turkish and signifies black guard."—Hanway, I. pt. ii. 252.]
c. 1782.—"In the time of the deceased Nawab, the exercises ... of the regular troops were ... performed, and the word given according to the French system ... but now, the Sultan (Tippoo) ... changed the military code ... and altered the technical terms or words of command ... to words of the Persian and Turkish languages.... From the regular infantry 5000 men being selected, they were named Kushoon, and the officer commanding that body was called a Sipahdar...."—Hist. of Tipu Sultan, p. 31.