kotwal

English

Alternative forms

• catwal, cotwal, cutwal, cutwaul, kutwal

Etymology

Borrowed from Hindi कोतवाल (kotvāl); see there for more.

Noun

kotwal (plural kotwals)

1. (historical) The leader of a kot or fort in medieval India.
2. The local police chief or magistrate of a town or city in India or the East Indies.
   • 1997, Kiran Nagarkar, Cuckold, HarperCollins 2013, p. 437:

     Why do people pay taxes, offer their wrists for manacling when the kotwal or even an ordinary policeman shows up at the door to arrest a man who is accused of committing a theft or murder?

Related terms

• kotwali