jemadar

American  

[jem-uh-dahr] / ˈdʒɛm əˌdɑr /

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.

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jemadar British  

/ 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

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Etymology

Origin of jemadar

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

Example Sentences

"Gone an hour!" shouted the enraged jemadar; "who told them of the attack?"

From In Times of Peril by Henty, G. A. (George Alfred)

Early after dawn, the jemadar, with his guard, advanced to meet us, welcomed us with sundry complimentary discharges of their matchlocks, and escorted us to their post.

From What Led to the Discovery of the Source of the Nile by Speke, John Hanning

The speaker is a jemadar of the 59th.

From Leaves from a Field Note-Book by Morgan, John Hartman

The jemadar now left us, with a present for himself and the hire of his men, and we were all alone.

From What Led to the Discovery of the Source of the Nile by Speke, John Hanning

The jemadar and two Beloochs complained of sickness and declared they could not march, and poor Gaetano fell ill and hid himself in the jungle, being thus left behind.

From Great African Travellers From Mungo Park to Livingstone and Stanley by Kingston, William Henry Giles