shroff

American  

[shrof] / ʃrɒf /

noun

1. (in India) a banker or moneychanger.

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

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verb (used with object)

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

shroff British  

/ 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

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verb

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

Etymology

Origin of shroff

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

Example Sentences

And whenever Hersey needs an idea and can't find one�it happens all the time�he uses a big word instead: cangue, coffle, fulvous, hame, jingal, liripipe, m�tayer, panyar, purlin, psora, shroff, sycee.*

From Time Magazine Archive

The exportation of unmanufactured brass, of what is called gun-metal, bell-metal, and shroff metal, still continues to be prohibited.

From An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations by Smith, Adam

She recognised Withers and the shroff and came forward.

From Civilization Tales of the Orient by La Motte, Ellen Newbold

The shroff was very fearful, but as he was to be compradore now, to do the work of a European, he could not show fear.

From Civilization Tales of the Orient by La Motte, Ellen Newbold

Withers and the shroff caught the first train out for Peking, and arriving in two hours, made hasty preparations for their journey.

From Civilization Tales of the Orient by La Motte, Ellen Newbold