n. 1. An official in precolonial India assigned to collect the land taxes of his district. 2. A landholder in British colonial India responsible for collecting and paying to the government the taxes on the land under his jurisdiction. [Hindi zamīndār, from Persian : zamīn, earth; see dhghem- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots + -dār, -holder; see dher- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
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