shroff

[ shrof ]

noun

1. (in India) a banker or money-changer.
2. (in East Asia, especially China) a local expert employed to test the purity of a coin’s metal content, especially silver or gold.

verb (used with object)

1. to test (coins) to ascertain the purity of the metal content, especially silver or gold.

shroff

/ ʃrɒf /

noun

1. (in China, Japan, etc, esp formerly) an expert employed to separate counterfeit money or base coin from the genuine
2. (in India) a moneychanger or banker

verb

1. tr to test (money) and separate out the counterfeit and base

Word History and Origins

Origin of shroff¹

First recorded in 1610–20; earlier sharoffe from Portuguese xarrafo, probably from Gujarati śaraf, from Arabic ṣayrāfī “moneychanger”

Word History and Origins

Origin of shroff¹

C17: from Portuguese xarrafo, from Hindi sarrāf moneychanger, from Arabic

Example Sentences

That is “not just illogical, it defies common sense,” Ms. Shroff said.

From New York Times

In opening remarks at his trial in federal court in Manhattan, Sabrina Shroff, a lawyer for Mr. Guo, also argued he would not defraud the thousands of supporters who invested in his various ventures because doing so would undercut his effort to topple the Chinese Communist Party.

From New York Times

But defense attorney Sabrina Shroff said Guo was not guilty of any of the dozen charges lodged against him since his March 2023 arrest, a decade after he left China in 2014 during a crackdown on corruption that ensnared individuals close to him, including a topo intelligence official.

From Seattle Times

Shroff said her client had intentionally developed a following as he formed a movement to let the people of China know that there was an alternative to the Chinese Communist Party and had drawn the wrath of the Chinese government.

From Seattle Times

Shroff warned jurors not to be distracted by her client’s lifestyle.

From Seattle Times