subadar

American  

[soo-buh-dahr] / ˌsu bəˈdɑr /

Or subahdar

noun

1. a provincial governor of the Mogul empire.

2. the chief Indian officer of a company of troops in the British Indian Army.

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subadar British  

/ ˈsuːbəˌdɑː /

noun

1. Also called: subah.  (formerly) the chief native officer of a company of Indian soldiers in the British service

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Etymology

Origin of subadar

First recorded in 1665–75; from Urdu, from Persian, equivalent to ṣūba “province” + dār “holding, holder”

Example Sentences

Some placed ladders and entered the upper story through a window; Maheput, with others, broke open the door, near which the subadar slept below.

From A Journey through the Kingdom of Oude, Volumes I & II by Sleeman, William

"Quite true," answered Dilāwur readily; "I was at one time a subadar of the Guides, but I have been many things in my time, and now I am a mullah."

From The Story of the Guides by Younghusband, G. J.

Captain Rowcroft, who was in command, had with him only a subadar and half a dozen sepoys, when a heavy fire was opened upon him.

From Through Three Campaigns A Story of Chitral, Tirah and Ashanti by Paget, Walter

In August 1847, Maheput Sing and his gang attacked the house of Meherban Tewaree, subadar of the Gwalior Contingent, in the village of Hareehurpoor, in the district of Rodowlee.

From A Journey through the Kingdom of Oude, Volumes I & II by Sleeman, William

He was not a subadar, but a lance-corporal.

From The Red Year A Story of the Indian Mutiny by Tracy, Louis