What does zemindar mean?
A zemindar was an intermediary in the land-revenue system of British India, particularly under the zamindari system. The zemindar was expected to collect revenue from cultivators, remit it to the government, and sometimes retain a share for himself. Many zemindars were hereditary landowners, although the office and its obligations varied considerably by period and locality. The word comes from Persian and literally means a holder of land. It is now chiefly encountered in historical, political, and legal discussions of South Asia, rather than in ordinary contemporary English. References to zamindars may evoke the complex relationship among landholding, rural power, revenue administration, and colonial rule. Although the system was substantially dismantled through land reforms in several twentieth-century South Asian jurisdictions, zemindari and its associated forms remain important in regional political vocabulary and in the study of agrarian history.
nounIn British India, a zemindar was an intermediary who held land and collected revenue from cultivators, remitting the assessed amount to the government. The term can also refer to a landowner with rights and obligations under the zamindari system.
- In South Asian social and historical usage, a landowner whose rights and obligations were governed by the zamindari system.
- In British Indian administration, an intermediary responsible for collecting land revenue from cultivators and paying it to the government.
- Originally, a holder of land, reflecting the literal Persian meaning of the term.
"Under the zamindari system, the local zemindar was responsible for collecting revenue and paying it to the colonial government."
"The estate was administered by a zemindar whose family had held the land for several generations."
"The report examined how each zemindar in the district remitted revenue to the colonial authorities."
The regular plural is used for multiple landholders or revenue intermediaries.
"The new revenue settlement weakened several zemindars while increasing the obligations of local cultivators."
A single word named both the powerful intermediary and the land system that made him the government's gatekeeper.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of zemindar
The word comes from Persian زمیندار (zemīndār), a compound of زمین (zamin), meaning “earth” or “land,” and دار (dār), meaning “holder.” Its original sense was therefore a landholder. In later South Asian administrative systems, especially during the Mughal and British periods, the designation came to refer particularly to an intermediary responsible for land revenue and for dealings with cultivators.
Related word forms
How zemindar is actually used
The word is chiefly historical in British Indian administrative contexts but remains relevant in discussions of South Asian land tenure, land reform, and colonial history. Modern usage is regional and may carry strong political or historical associations, so it is not normally used as a general English synonym for landlord.
Easily confused with zemindar
A zemindar is the individual landowner or revenue intermediary, whereas zamindari denotes the land-tenure system, arrangement, or associated status.