chetty

noun

chet·​ty

variants or chettie

ˈchetē

plural chettis or chetties

-tēz

or chettyars

-tēˌärz

often capitalized

: a member of a caste of Tamil moneylenders or merchants in southern India, Ceylon, Burma, Malaya, Fiji, and South Africa

Word History

Etymology

Tamil-Malayalam ceṭṭi, from Sanskrit śreṣṭhin

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