n. 1. An intermediary; a go-between. 2. A native-born agent in China and certain other Asian countries formerly employed by a foreign business to serve as a collaborator or intermediary in commercial transactions. [Portuguese, from Late Latin comparātor, buyer, from Latin comparāre, to buy : com-, com- + parāre, to get; see perə-1 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
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