jemadar

[ jem-uh-dahr ]

noun

1. any of various government officials.
2. the supervisor of a staff of servants.
3. an officer in a sepoy regiment, corresponding in rank to a lieutenant.

jemadar

/ ˈdʒɛməˌdɑː /

noun

1. a native junior officer belonging to a locally raised regiment serving as mercenaries in India, esp with the British Army (until 1947)
2. an officer in the Indian police

Word History and Origins

Origin of jemadar¹

1755–65; < Urdu jamadar, variant of jamdar < Persian < Arabic jamʿ aggregation + Persian dār holding, leader of

Word History and Origins

Origin of jemadar¹

C18: from Urdu jama `dār, from Persian jama `at body of men + dār having

Example Sentences

And we had not driven out the accursed strangers, after all, but on the contrary they made themselves stronger than ever, and sent more soldiers, as the jemadar had prophesied, and put down the Company, who used to be their rajah, and sent up a Maharani instead, who is now Empress of India.

From Project Gutenberg

A few days before all this, I was standing about in the bazaar, when I met a jemadar.

From Project Gutenberg

But the jemadar laughed at me.

From Project Gutenberg

Then we knew it was all true what the jemadar had said, and that they would take the whole Doab back, and put back the land-tax, and the salt-tax; and we thought too that they would make us all into Christians; but that they have not done, for so long as they get their taxes, and have high pay and good bungalows, and cow's flesh and beer, they don't care about, or reverence any religion, not even their own.

From Project Gutenberg

All the time the Feringhees were in Cawnpore, I lay hid in the jemadar's house.

From Project Gutenberg