mali1
/ˈmɑːli
/noun (plural malis) Indian
A gardener.The match took place at the R.S.I. ground, a lovely piece of turf maintained by the army malis, with a row of trees ringing the outfield....
- And often for the fear of being ridiculed, I would sit with a malis and talk to them in Hindi to improve my language.
- Time to get into faded old dungarees and check if the Poinsettia has grown any more and if the pump still works, if the mali is absconding, if the stray donkey is still around.
Origin
Via Hindi from Sanskrit, from mālā 'garland'.
Mali2
/ˈmɑːli/
A landlocked country in West Africa, south of Algeria; population 13,443,200 (est. 2009); languages, French (official), other languages mainly of the Mande group; capital, Bamako. Former name (until 1958) French Sudan.
Conquered by the French in the late 19th century, Mali became part of French West Africa. It became a partner with Senegal in the Federation of Mali in 1959 and achieved full independence a year later, on the withdrawal of Senegal.