zamindar

zam·in·dar

Historical in India,

a collector of the revenue from land
a landholder; specif., under British rule, an aristocratic landowner with extensive holdings

Origin of zamindar

Hindi zam?nd?r, an occupant of land, landholder from Persian from zam?n, land, earth + -d?r, holding

zamindar

also zem·in·dar

noun

An official in precolonial India assigned to collect the land taxes of his district.
A landholder in British colonial India responsible for collecting and paying to the government the taxes on the land under his jurisdiction.

Origin of zamindar

Hindi zamīndār from Persian zamīn earth ; see dhghem- in Indo-European roots. -dār -holder ; see dher- in Indo-European roots.

zamindar

Noun

(plural zamindars)

(historical) a landowner, especially on the Indian subcontinent, one paying tax directly to the British government
(historical) an official tax-collector

Origin

Urdu, from Persian (zamin-dÃ¢r).

SentencesSentence examples

Sentence Examples

The zamindar seemed a solvent person, capable of keeping a contract; and his official position as tax-collector was confused with the proprietary rights of an English landlord.
If the offer of the zamindar was not deemed satisfactory, another contractor was substituted in his place.
The zamindar himself is a creation of the Mahommedans, unknown to the early Hindu system.
The same English prejudice which made a landlord of the zamindar could recognize nothing but a tenantat-will in the ryot.
ZAMINDAR, or Zemindar (from Persian zamin= " land"), an Indian landholder.

Also Mentioned In

Words near zamindar in the dictionary