comprador

[ kom-pruh-dawr ]

/ ˌkɒm prəˈdɔr /

(formerly in China) a native agent or factotum, as of a foreign business house.

Origin of comprador

1605–15; < Portuguese: buyer < Latin comparātor, equivalent to comparā(re) to furnish, provide, prepare (see com-, prepare) + -tor -tor

She was not long out from England, and a comprador order was as yet an unnatural phenomenon to her.

Intimate China |Mrs. Archibald Little
At the head of the whole household is the comprador, who is a kind of major-domo.

A Woman's Journey Round the World |Ida Pfeiffer
The comprador sent word aboard at four bells, he couldnt hold his sampan men much longer.

Cursed |George Allan England
As a matter of fact, the comprador generally grew rich at the expense of his employer.

The Englishman in China During the Victorian Era, Vol. I (of 2) |Alexander Michie

The comprador provides stores, and all the necessary provisions for the ship, while she remains in port.

Embassy to the Eastern Courts of Cochin-China, Siam, and Muscat |Edmund Roberts

comprador

/ (ˌkɒmprəˈdɔː) /

(formerly in China and some other Asian countries) a native agent of a foreign enterprise

C17: from Portuguese: buyer, from Late Latin comparātor, from Latin comparāre to purchase, from parāre to prepare